Close Quarters
by Flash.Asuna
Summary: Swan Queen/Sleeping Warrior AU: After Mulan and Aurora's roommates move out of their Oakland Hills home in the San Francisco Bay Area, they post an ad online to find new renters. Can they put up with Alameda County Sheriff Emma Swan and San Francisco Hotelier Regina Mills under one roof? It's Friends with OUAT characters and some L Word Humor.
1. Episode 1: Vacancy

_**AU Setting: Alameda County Assistant Sherrif, Emma Swan & Boutique San Francisco Hotelier, Regina Mills are two separate people looking for a place to live in Oakland, California. Each woman responds to an ad online for housemates, posted by Mulan and Aurora. It's like Friends, but with Swan Queen & Sleeping Warrior. **_

* * *

**Close Quarters**

_ Episode 1: Vacancy_

Mulan threw herself on the grey couch in the living room. It was worn out and frayed, but she was well acquainted with it. Sure, it came from an aunt's cousin's childhood friend's mom's house, but it was still considered a family heirloom. In fact, a lot of the furniture in the house were hand-me-downs from the Fa family and it's friends-like-family. The house itself actually belonged to Mulan's grandparents, who allowed her to live in it for a small rental fee.

But today, there was an emptiness. After living for the last two years with Ariel and her fiancé Eric, the house was strangely quiet. Now it was just Mulan and Aurora with a rent that was too high for a Royal Ambulance EMT and a part-time waitress/volunteer/student. Mulan worked varying hours, but enjoyed a 4 day on, 3 day off schedule. It gave her plenty of time to take care of the house and of their Shitzu, Mushu. Aurora was on her third bachelor's degree, this time focusing on global ecology and women's studies, while volunteering at the Children's Hospital, Perry's Orphan Sanctuary and Whole Foods.

It wasn't that Mulan was complaining. For the size of the 3 bedroom house in the Oakland Hills, rent was fair and they were able to include utilities. Her grandparents allowed her to bring Mushu, which was a big plus. The house itself was laid out to promote good energy and capitalize on the essential Feng Shui of the home. The house originally had 2 bedrooms, but a third one was added later by adding a divider and sliding glass door to the loft upstairs.

Mulan covered her eyes with her arm. They needed to find a roommate or two and quickly. She heard the door open and the soft tapping of Aurora's sneakers on the floor as her girlfriend let herself into the house.

"Mulan, you have to get up. We have people coming over to interview for the rental spaces. You can't just lie here on the couch." Aurora lectured. Mulan lifted her arm and opened her eyes to see her blonde girlfriend standing in front of her in dark jeans and a hand-me-down t-shirt for some sort of long forgotten charity marathon in Alameda, dated sometime in 1984.

"Where have you been?"

Aurora sighed, "Don't you remember? I told you I had two volunteer shifts today. One at the Sanctuary and three hours at the Farmer's Market. It's Friday."

After grumbling, Mulan sat up and looked at Aurora with a curious glance. "Well, where's the good from the market, woman? You always bring something home on Fridays."

"I donated it. We've got plenty of food anyways." Aurora argued as she moved past Mulan towards their bedroom.

"But I wanted the fresh vegetables!" Mulan whined. She looked at her watch. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and her second day off. She wanted to do something productive, but felt like she wasted the entire day cleaning up what was left of Ariel and Eric's room. It was clean when they moved out, but Mulan's upbringing had instilled some level of mysophobia in her that caused her to clean a clean room. She and Aurora had agreed that getting two roommates might help their finances, so Mulan also rearranged the upstairs loft room so it looked more like a bedroom than another living room.

At promptly 4:00, the doorbell rang. Mushu barked from the laundry room where they had locked him up for the duration of the interviews. Their first guest was a young woman named Ashley. As they asked her questions about herself, Mulan and Aurora each made little notes on pink and purple notepads.

After the interviewers would leave, they exchanged notebooks and discussed their potential as a roommate until the next one arrived. Their conditions were simple: clean, drug-free, working, female and LGBT supportive. Eric had been an exception, since Ariel had already been living in the house when she started seeing him. Also, he could talk football with Mulan, which she appreciated.

Several more girls arrived, each going through the same interview process. The pink and purple notebooks kept moving back and forth between Mulan and Aurora as they shared their opinions on each girl. They looked over each notebook, making faces or giggling at the notes they left each other.

Aurora shook her head as she read through Mulan's notes. They were somewhat superficial, but not necessarily incorrect. **Tatiana** - if she moves in, she better be able to make creole food. I want dirty rice! **Ashley** - part-time worker, has a baby, minimum wage, not yet 21, where is the BD? **Merida** - GINGER; ok that was kinda rude. Um, she actually seems kinda fun. For a Ginger. **Jasmine** - can definitely pay the rent. Going to UCB on Dr. Daddy's money. Mulan held up Aurora's notebook and leaned back on the couch, giggling at Aurora's facial response to her notes. She glanced at the page and saw very short but well thought out tidbits of information. Tatiana - cute accent, but not okay with the pet frog. Ashley - very sweet, likes to clean, has a really cute baby, but promotes formula feeding. Merida - foreign exchange student. No work visa. lots of hair. Jasmine - likes cats. Not a good match for Mushu.

"Damn it!" Aurora hissed as she tossed the notebook on the table.

"What's wrong? We've only seen four girls today. You don't have to get frustrated." Mulan replied as she leaned back into the couch.

"It's not that. I double booked the next two! They're both coming here at 6. Ugh, we can't interview them at the same time. Let's do it as individual tours. I'll interview and tour with one and you do the other." Aurora suggested.

"But I thought you didn't want anyone seeing the house until they're the ones going to move in?" Mulan argued.

"It's fine, it's fine. I have a good feeling about this."

The doorbell rang again and exactly 6:00. Mulan answered the door to find a slightly older woman with short dark hair standing on the porch in Louboutin heels and a black Chanel dress. "Is this the home that's available for rent?" she asked curtly.

"Um… yes?" Mulan replied nervously.

"Are you telling me or asking me? I am the one inquiring."

"Oh, sorry, telling you. Come on in. Um… I'm Mulan Fa." the girl held her hand out to the older woman who took it delicately.

"Regina Mills," she answered as she stepped into the foyer. She quickly took notice of the shoes by the front door and slipped out of hers easily. The door closed behind her as Mulan led her into the living room where Aurora was waiting for the next interview.

"Oh, good evening. I'm Aurora," the young girl stood up from the couch and held her hand out to Regina's. The woman took it and nodded to her in greeting. "Why don't I take you on a tour of the house?"

"Thank you. I understand that you have two rooms available?" Regina asked as Aurora guided her towards the kitchen.

Mulan watched as they left the room. She peeked outside and took note of the Tesla parked on the street. She whistled to herself, clearly impressed by the car. Two yellowed headlights came sputtering down the street with the sound of a tired exhaust accompanying the bouncing lights; a tell tale sign of poor suspension on the car. Mulan stood on the porch, enjoying the cool air as she watched the peculiar bug.

A yellow Volkswagen Beetle parked itself across the street and Mulan watched as a blonde woman in a red leather jacket stumbled out of the mustard colored vehicle. Mulan tilted her head curiously as she watched the young woman look around the neighborhood. She squinted her eyes at the house and then suddenly marched towards Mulan with determined focus.

"Can I... help you?" Mulan asked cautiously as the strange blonde woman approached her.

"Are you Aurora?" she asked as she thrust her hand forward. "Emma Swan, Alameda County Sheriff. We spoke on the phone."

Mulan's heart started racing. Why is the sheriff here? Did they find out that my grandparents had buried a dog in the backyard 8 years ago? Oh, god... did something happen to them? Is Uncle Yao caught at the card house again? Wait.. she asked for Aurora...

"Um, no. I'm Mulan."

Emma grinned. "You must be the girlfriend. I'm here about the space for rent."

"Oh! Right, sorry. Come in. Um.. Aurora's showing someone else around, so... I guess I can take you upstairs first." Mulan said as she moved out of the way. "Oh, please leave your shoes by the door."

"Great!" Emma stepped inside. She sat down and removed her boots, then stepped happily onto the soft carpet in a pair of socks with donuts all over it. "Whew.. this place is huge. I mean, for Oakland Hills, that is."

"It's my grandparents' house, but they have another place so we rent it out." Mulan explained. "So.. you're a sheriff?"

"Yeah, Alameda county. " Emma explained as they walked upstairs. "You look kinda familiar."

"Oh, I'm an EMT. Royal Ambulance." Mulan led her up the stairs and waved her hand to the loft bedroom. It wasn't completely closed off as it was more a space that should have been open and a sliding glass door had been added to it. It was long more than it was wide, with just enough space for a bed, dresser, desk and perhaps an armchair. If you were creative with the space. The intention was for it to be a quiet, well lit reading nook. There had been two bookshelves at one time, clearly indicated by the discoloration of the floor against the wall. The room itself sat in a corner of the house where the ceiling began to slant, making the room feel smaller. The slant of the roof had three skylights, perfect for bringing in morning light and since it was at an angle that never got the full onslaught of the sun throughout the day, it was blazing hot in the summer and always warm enough in the winter. But the best part that Emma found was the glass door that led to the balcony outside. She turned around on her heels and grabbed Mulan's hands. "I'll take it!"

"Huh? But... rent is $800."

Emma shook her head with vigor, "Yeah, yeah. I got it. Alameda County sheriff, remember? If you're worried about a criminal background," she said as she pointed to herself, "Alameda County Sheriff. Also, go Niners."

Mulan gasped. "You... you're not East Bay loyal... Shh! We can only say that in the confines of these walls. Beyond here...you have to play the Raiders facade."

"Personally, I follow the Saints, but I'm not an idiot. I know how the game is played here in the Bay."

It was as if they immediately clicked. Whether is was a respect for football or just a natural sense, Mulan just knew that Emma was the right fit for this house.

"So... rent is due on the 5th, it includes utilities and internet. We use U-Verse. Their contract has a better range in this area. We all share the DVR, but don't delete anything yet. Aurora's got eight episodes of Love It or List It and I'm way behind in Adventure Time."

"Seriously? You watch Adventure Time, too?" Emma asked excitedly. She was liking this house more and more.

"Uh, duh!" Mulan answered. "Come on, let me show you the rest of the house."

* * *

"I'm working on an organic garden outside," Aurora explained as she and Regina moved away from the back door.

"It's a beautiful space, Aurora. I can help you with that, if you like. Gardening is a small hobby of mine. Is the driveway available or garage for parking?"

Aurora shook her head, "The driveway is available when Mulan's Fit isn't in the way. I don't drive. It's not economical. Do you?"

"I have a Tesla." Regina answered.

"Oh... well that changes things then. I mean, it's a Tesla. I'll make sure Mulan leaves you a parking space." They walked along a hallway and the high pitched yip-yip of Mushu behind a closed door made Regina jump back slightly. Aurora hurried to block the door. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to mention that we have a dog."

Aurora worried that Regina would change her mind. So far, she liked her and she hoped that the woman would decide to stay. But the brunette's eyes lit up as she looked towards the door. "You have a dog? What kind?"

"A Shitzu. He's Mulan's, but since we moved in here, he's kind of the baby."

Regina smiled, "I love dogs. Can I see him?" Aurora smiled and nodded. Mushu's yip-yip became excited as they squeezed into the small laundry room where he had been hiding. Once inside, Regina sank to her knees and allowed the small dog to climb up her lap and nuzzle her face. Aurora grinned at the sudden change of aura she sensed from the older woman. She knew immediately from Mushu's reaction that Regina Mills would fit right in.

* * *

"This house is awesome." Emma said happily as she stood out on the balcony with Mulan. The night air was cool and the view from the balcony was nothing short of incredible. Emma took in the skyline of Oakland and the San Francisco bay, inhaling slightly as the faint but familiar salty air tickled her senses.

"You're gonna love it. We barbecue in the summer and I actually like doing dinner parties when Aurora lets us have company. But wait, I have to ask you... Giants or A's?" Mulan asked, giving Emma a sideways glance. The true test of friendship was dependent on Bay Area sports loyalty.

"Giants, duh. Although I get free A's tickets once in awhile."

"Everyone gets free A's tickets. They're kinda just happy you show up."

Emma nodded. "True. You? A's or Giants?"

"I'm SF all the way," Mulan said proudly. "Giants, Niners, Bi-Rite Ice Cream, the Castro and Ike's Sandwiches. I fly my city flag emblazoned with the Golden Gate... but I like it here in Oakland, too.. cause Fenton's. Duh."

"I'll be honest, not really into baseball. I mean, I can watch a game. Who could say no to a beer and a hot dog? But, football... that's something I love watching."

"Dude, me too! Football's my favorite, but the Giant's stadium is super close, so it's just easy and fun to go. We should go to a game one time."

A grin spread across the blonde's face, "Definitely."

"I've got another important question for you. Xbox or Playstation?"

"Both. I've got an Xbox One and I'm loaded up on zombie games."

Mulan's eyebrows came together, "I can.. kinda play those games. They freak me out a little. But I'll play."

"They scare me too, but it's still fun."

"I've got a Playstation 3... and Assassin's Creed."

"Awesome." Emma replied, looking back out onto the skyline. Her heart was soaring. She would finally get to move out of her parents' house and be out on her own. She prayed that her mom wouldn't be a baby about it.

* * *

Aurora sighed. "I'm so glad you like Mushu. It's such a relief. I mean, Ariel and Eric were super cool with him, but some of the other people we've interviewed didn't like having a dog in the house or were cat lesbians."

"Cat... lesbians?" Regina echoed.

"Yeah, you know.. the kind of lesbian who loves cats and has awkward cat sweaters and stuff?"

Regina squeezed out of the laundry room, trying her best to keep Mushu on the opposite side of the door. "Wouldn't they just be crazy cat ladies?"

"I guess, but they haven't hit that level of crazy yet." Aurora agreed, squeezing out behind Regina. "Sorry about having to keep the door closed like this. Mushu likes to jump, so we keep him in here when there's company. Also, he tends to chew on shoes."

"Hmph, we'll see about that. He's adorable, but he's not getting his teeth near my shoes," the brunette said defiantly.

Aurora stopped at the end of the hallway and turned towards her visitor. "Oh, just so you know, rent is $800, due on the 5th of the month, utilities and internet included. Garbage day is on Tuesday, we have compost, recycling and a smaller trash bin. We try not to use it so much and I try to compost what I can in the garden."

Regina tilted her head slightly, "Do you mind if I see the rooms, then? I take it that was an invitation to move in? I suppose I can arrange for the movers in a week."

"Oh, of course! I mean, you have no idea how difficult it's been to replace Ariel and Eric. They were the last couple that was here. But Ariel ended up getting a job at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, so they got a place in Seaside."

"Sounds luxurious," Regina said, chiming in to the conversation. They stopped as they came face to face with Emma and Mulan in the living room. "Oh, did we perhaps speak too soon?"

Aurora and Mulan looked up at each other.

"Aurora, I'm.."

"Mulan, I..."

Mulan laughed. "Sorry, go ahead." Emma and Regina looked at each other curiously, then shrugged as if on cue.

"This is Regina Mills. I know we wanted to agree on who would live here, but I already offered one of the spaces to her, Mulan. I think she'll fit right in."

Mulan blushed. "Actually... I kinda did the same thing. This is Emma Swan... we kinda bonded over football."

"And the Giants." Emma added.

"And zombie games." Mulan chimed in again.

"I'd still like to see the rooms upstairs." Regina announced. Something rubbed her the wrong way about Emma Swan. Whether it was the goofy, overconfident grin on her face, her perfectly curled princess blonde hair or the way she rocked on her heels, there was something that Regina couldn't put her finger on. It made her feel hostile, but not so much in a way that she wanted to be outwardly mean. She could do mean. That was easy. But this feeling of borderline mean and teasing? She wasn't quite so sure what to do with it.

"Oh, of course!" Aurora quickly led her upstairs, and the sound of their chattering died out.

"I call the loft!" Emma shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Enjoy your hovel, peasant!" Regina shouted back from the top of the stairs. "I'll be taking the large, luxurious room down the hallway!"

Emma turned around to grin happily at Mulan. "I don't know about her, but this is gonna be awesome."

Mulan shrugged. "Aurora's got good , something important I need to bring up before we sign anything. Are you LGBT friendly?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have answered the ad if I wasn't."

"You'd be suprised." Mulan replied.

"You think that Regina lady is an ally? I mean, she looks pretty straight." Emma added, tilting her head towards the stairs.

"No way," Mulan laughed. "Wait, you think? Maybe she's just an ally... but she's for sure a top. I mean, come on. With that swagger?"

"She looks like the type to always wear heels. Are those her Louboutins at the door? Imagine what those do for your calves! I say she's straight, but seriously would buy."

"Ahem!" Mulan and Emma jumped at the voice behind them. They turned to see a glaring Regina. Aurora was behind her, scowling at Mulan. "Thank you kindly for your opinion, ladies. I'll take that as a compliment. Aurora, it's been a pleasure and I look forward to becoming one of your housemates."

"You mean, you're not offended by these two?" Aurora asked incredulously.

"Normally I'd be appalled at anyone talking about me when I'm not around, but I said I'd be taking their comments as a compliment." Regina said as she slipped on her Louboutins. Emma whistled quietly, impressed at the type of shoes Regina wore. The older woman stood up rigidly and glared at the blonde sheriff. "Next time you find it necessary to whistle, I'd appreciate it if it wasn't while I was bent over. What was your name again?"

Emma gulped hard, "Um.. Swan... Emma Swan. Alameda County Sheriff."

"Well, Sheriff Swan," Regina spat out Emma's title as if it were poison in her mouth. "You'd best keep your attitude and your libido in check. Especially if we're to be cohabiting in this house. Besides, aren't you a little too young to be a Sheriff?"

The blonde shuffled on her feet, "Well... Assistant Sheriff. I'm aspiring upwards... sorry, I guess it wasn't fair to say that I was sheriff."

Mulan grinned, "I'd have voted for you. Hell, I will when it's time for elections and you're ready. You've got my vote, Swan!"

Regina rolled her eyes, "Well, Assistant Sheriff, it will be interesting to see if you've got any other little secrets. I don't intent to stick around to find out your life story, so don't count on being best buddies. This is temporary for me."

"Temporary?" Mulan repeated. She looked outside at the black Tesla. "Hey... is that your Tesla? Why are you renting if you have a Tesla?"

Regina tilted her head. "Not that it's any of your business, but it's because I have a Tesla."

"She's got a point..." Aurora smirked. "So, just give us a call when you're ready to move in, Regina!"

The woman waved as she approached her car. After she had put her purse in the vehicle, she stood up and looked up over the roof directly at Emma. "And for the record, Sheriff Swan, I'm not for sale. You can take your eBay reviews and 'would buy' to someone else!" With that, she got into her car and they watched with wide eyes as she drove away.

"Wow, foot in mouth syndrome, Emma?" Mulan laughed. She received a scowl from her new housemate. "So, uh... see you in a few days to move in?"

"Definitely. Besides, I'm not worried about Regina. She'll come around. No one can really resist the charms of a Swan." Emma replied with a cheesy grin.

Aurora and Mulan stood at the door, watching Emma leave in her sputtering Volkswagen. They grinned at each other, quietly sharing their excitement. The house wouldn't be quiet for much longer.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! This started as a weird idea which escalated into the AU that this is now. All locations and businesses mentioned in here do exist, but have no affiliation with this story or Once Upon a Time. They're probably not even laid out correctly if you see them on a map. For the record, I don't own or claim ownership to the locations and/or characters mentioned in this fan fiction.**

**For updates on ****_Traces of You _****and ****_The Shattered Looking Glass_****, please be patient with me as I am fighting a plot line hiccup in both. ****_Close Quarters_**** will likely be the bump in the track that puts me back where I need to be headed with the other pieces.**

**Thanks for your support and don't forget to review!**


	2. Episode 2: Housewarming

Close Quarters

_Episode 2: Housewarming_

"Swan!" The voice that yelled from the top of the stairs echoed through the sliding glass door that separated Emma's loft into its own space. She sat up on her bed where she had flopped down next to her best friends, Graham and Killian.

"Who's yelling for you now? We just moved this bed in!" Killian whined. He stretched his long arms until his wrists touched the edge of the bed.

Emma groaned, "My other housemate, Regina. She's kind of uptight." The sound of footsteps thudded through the hallway until a dark figure stood at the sliding glass door of Emma's loft. "Oh, hey, Regina."

Simultaneously, three pairs of eyes looked up at Regina. She took a step back and glowered. "Emma... your boxes are all over the stairs. How am I supposed to get up the stairs with my things if your stuff is scattered everywhere... and you're here taking a break?!"

Emma sat up and frowned. "We'll move them in a second. We just needed like... five minutes, seriously. I mean, we just moved this bed up here!" Regina grumbled and walked away, clearly out of steam for the argument. "Christ, she's so snotty."

"But hot," Graham laughed. "Is she one of you or is she on our side? Cause, you know... if you're not gonna do something about it..."

"One of... that's kind of a rude question, Graham. Besides, I don't know." Emma elbowed him in the stomach playfully. "Come on, let's get the rest of the stuff up here." Killian and Graham hopped off the full sized bed and headed into the hallway, just in time to see several moving men usher a large queen sized bed, boxes, an armoire, desk, chair and more boxes into the room down the hall. They looked back at Emma with a shrug. "Well, excuse me for making a civil servant's salary where I can't hire some moving guys to do all of this for us."

"You should be sorry! These boxes are heavy!" Graham cried as he lifted a box into his arms. Sure enough, the writing on the side of the box warned him with large letters that read _Heavy: workout gear._

"Lift with your legs, mate!" Killian laughed as he picked up another, not so heavy box. It didn't take them long to move in Emma's things. She didn't have much to begin with. Graham and Killian worked to put Emma's OneLess Desk into the corner beside her bed where she would perch her computer and use the corner of the desk for a haphazard nightstand. The other side of the bed had just enough room for an old wooden fruit box to be turned upside down and used as a second nightstand. Her loft-room slowly became a mix-and-match of old and new things: her dark wooden dresser that still had My Little Pony stickers on the side from when she was a little girl, the new grey and blue bed set her mom bought from Bed, Bath and Beyond to put in her new room, and an old department store coat rack that Killian found at the docks. It all worked out and Emma wasn't one to complain, especially because she _finally_ had her own space. Even if it was down the hall from the world's crankiest woman.

Later that night, after Killian and Graham had gone home and all of Regina's things were neatly in her room, thanks to the movers, the girls sat together in the kitchen with herbal tea-filled mugs and zucchini bread.

"This is actually pretty good. I don't think I've had zucchini bread before," Emma said as she helped herself to another slice. "Usually it's bearclaws and donut shop coffee for me."

"Feeding into the stereotype then? Cops and donuts?" Regina smirked, chuckling at her own joke.

Aurora rolled her eyes at the obvious stab Regina took at Emma. "There's a pretty good diner nearby. It's the Montclair Egg Shop. We should go for brunch."

Mulan raised her hand in the air, nearly lifting herself off her seat. "Oh! Oh! Me, me, me!"

"This is not a classroom. You can excuse yourself to go to the bathroom." Regina said as she sipped her tea.

"No, I wanted to make a suggestion. We should have a housewarming party!" Mulan explained. She rocked back and forth on her seat with excitement. "Let's barbecue outside, have a couple of friends over… ohhh, we'll make it a potluck, that way everyone brings something and I don't have to cook as much."

"That sounded really cheap of you, Mulan." Aurora pointed out. Mulan merely shrugged. "I suppose we could have a small party."

"I'll call Graham and Killian… and I guess my parents. My mom's been asking when she can come see the place." Emma said, grumbling. "And my partner, Ruby. I mean, my patrol partner. Not… like that."

Mulan snickered. "Sure, sure. Sounds like a plan. Oh, but just a fair warning, my family likes to show up randomly. Especially when we have parties. Even if I don't tell them, they have a six sense about gatherings. They show up…with food."

"How is that a bad thing? You just said you wanted a potluck." Regina said as she narrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, but when my family shows up, it's tray after tray of food that only some people will eat. Sure, I love it when my aunt brings two trays of shrimp dumplings and there's never enough leek and chestnut dumplings to go around… but not everyone wants to eat 100-year-old egg congee that Auntie Belinda brings over." Mulan lightly tapped her forehead on the table and sighed. "Just...be prepared."

"I'll call Belle. She's a friend of mine from my literature class," Aurora said with growing excitement. She wasn't one for parties, normally, but it was summer and even she enjoyed a small party here and there. "Anyone you'd invite, Regina?"

The older woman tilted her head back and folded her arms in thought. "Hm, probably just a close co-worker or two. They're really the only people I spend any time with."

"Great!" Emma exclaimed as she pulled out her phone. She began tapping away at the screen as she set up a calendar invitation. "So.. this Saturday?"

"Perfect." Mulan agreed. "I'll start cleaning up the house. I'm off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week. It works out."

Within a day, Facebook invitations had been sent out and Aurora was already working on a list of potluck participants with Regina over her shoulder. As they prepared, Mulan took to cleaning all aspects of the house when she was home while Emma made cheesy paper decorations and frequent beverage runs to stock up for the weekend.

Saturday came quickly and Mulan found herself in the backyard with two of her cousins, Chien Po and Yao, helping her at the grill. They stood around the blazing coals with beers in their hands as the noon sun just started to peak above them. Emma had run off to BevMo for a supply of ice and wine with a list of suggestions from Regina. The brunette had offered to go with her, not trusting Emma's choice in wine, but she decided to stay and finish the large paella she had been working on all morning.

Aurora was carefully plating cookies on a tray when the doorbell rang. She excused herself from the kitchen, allowing Regina to continue working while she answered the door. She scurried across the living room which was decorated in construction paper chains, different colored crepe paper streamers and balloons that sat scattered all over the floor. She shook her head as she kicked one out of the way, recalling how Mulan and Emma sat up the night before blowing them up since both of them were too lazy and cheap to buy a helium tank at the party store.

She opened the door to find her classmate Belle with a large tray of macaroons and a box. Beside Belle was a tall Asian man who smiled as he recognized Aurora right away.

"Hi, Belle. Hey, Ling. Come in, come in. Belle, this is Mulan's cousin, Ling Man. Mulan's in the back with Chien Po and Yao. Go on through." Aurora instructed.

"Hello, Ling." Belle said quietly.

"Thanks. It's Mah Jong night, so you know the aunts aren't coming by, but Auntie Mei sent over a tray of Singapore noodles," he added, holding up a foil wrapped aluminum tray.

"Oh, great. Just bring it into the kitchen. Regina's in there cooking; she's one of our new roommates." After Ling had let himself in, effortlessly leaving his shoes at the foyer, Aurora turned to Belle. She took the tray from her friend and guided her inside. "Thanks for coming today."

"Oh, thanks for inviting me. How are things with the new roommates?"

Aurora smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "They're certainly interesting. For some reason, they constantly seem to be at each others' throats, but they do it in such a way that you would think that they're old friends. At least they keep us entertained."

"Sounds like fun. I'm going to go say hello to Mulan in the back." Belle said as she grinned.

"Go for it. She'll be happy to see you. I'll be in the kitchen setting up the dining table for the food. There's beer, sodas and water in the cooler outside. We have more drinks coming in a bit, too."

"Thanks. I'll catch up with you in a bit." Belle excused herself and Aurora retreated to the kitchen. She found Regina finishing up her dish over the stove, carefully garnishing the layer of rice with shrimp in a strategic decorative flower. "Looks good."

"Thanks," Regina answered. "I'm just about done here. Is the Baby Sheriff back yet?"

"Baby Sheriff? Oh, Emma. No, not yet."

"Jesus, she takes forever! I'm dying for a glass of wine right now." Regina sighed as she walked her large paella pan to the dinner table.

The long table was laid out with a black tablecloth that Regina had borrowed from work and already had various trays and plates of food set out. As Mulan had predicted, her grandmother sent over a roasted whole piglet, its browned and crisp skin glistening in the light that came through the surrounding windows. Aurora had scowled at it and complained about having to see the head of the piglet, but she was used to the kind of food Mulan's family would bring over. Using a trick she had learned at work, Regina had propped a wok of water and two steamer baskets on bricks with a canister of flaming chafing gel beneath it to keep the dim sum that Mulan's cousins brought warm. Ling had set the tray of noodles right next to the dim sum, as if trying to keep the Asian food all together in one spot. On another side table was Belle's macaroons, Aurora's cookies and a strawberry cream cake from Kam Land Bakery sat together with small plates and a cup full of plastic forks.

The doorbell rang again. This time, Regina offered to answer the door as she pulled out her phone. "It looks like my co-workers are here. I'll get it." She excused herself, kicking two or three balloons out of the way as she waded through a sea of them to the front door. She opened the door to find her hotel's pastry chef, Elsa and the Director of Catering and Events, Jefferson, standing together on the porch.

"I knew this was the right house!" Jefferson said with a grin. "That Tesla is a dead giveaway."

"Hi, Regina," Elsa greeted her. "This is a really nice place."

"I got lucky," the brunette replied as she stepped out of the way to let her colleagues into the house. "Just leave your shoes here at the door. The kitchen is to the right to drop off the food."

"I didn't know what to bring so… here's a veggie tray." Jefferson held up the black tray full of cut vegetables and ranch dip. The Costco label was still visible on the clear plastic cover.

Elsa held up two trays stacked upon each other. "I brought some cannoli and my sister decided she wanted to make lace cookies for you. Oh, and this is for later," Elsa held up a skinny bottle with a smile. "Ice wine."

"You're a saint, Elsa. There's more cookies and a cake in the kitchen." Regina said, moving to close the door. "Just head to your right to the kitchen. Aurora will show you where to put things." Elsa and Jefferson headed down the hallway, kicking more balloons to the side as they walked through.

"Wait!" a voice shouted. "Hold the door!"

Regina pulled the door open to find Emma struggling up the walkway behind her two cohorts, Graham and Killian. Killian had a case of Stella Artois balanced on his shoulder and another case of Anchor Steam in his free hand. Graham shouldered two large bags of ice while Emma followed with a full box of bottles.

The men greeted Regina as they walked in, taking a moment to slip out of their sneakers and promptly bring the beer to the backyard where Mulan and her cousins were. Emma waddled up to the door and grinned. "Thanks.. this stuff was heavy."

"What the hell did you buy?" Regina asked as she peered into the box.

Emma leaned back slightly, showing her the various bottles inside. "Umm.. I picked up two bottles of the Inkblot that you highlighted, Robert Sinskey's Abraxas, two bottles of Moscato, Kraken Rum from Killian, Blanton's Bourbon from Graham, and a bottle of Belvedere."

"I don't know if I should applaud you or be concerned about the amount of alcohol that's in there." Regina said with a raised eyebrow.

"Hope the selection pleases you, _Your Majesty." _Emma said playfully. "I'm gonna go set this down."

"Stop exaggerating. I simply gave you suggestions for wine since you had such a dumbfounded look on your face when I asked for a red wine." Regina rolled her eyes as she closed the door and followed Emma into the kitchen.

The kitchen counter was soon filled with bottles and red solo cups. Regina and Aurora took turns answering the door as Emma went around and introduced herself to everyone she came across. That is, after she, Killian and Graham had opened up half of the alcohol and began playing bartender for everyone. Emma's partner, Ruby Lucas, arrived with an apple pie from her Grandmother's shop and...donuts. As if Emma could resist since Ruby had made sure to get a good amount of bear claws.

Just when they thought everyone had arrived, the doorbell rang one more time. Regina answered it to find a petite woman with a pixie haircut and a taller sandy haired man standing there. The woman held a small boy in her arms as he jammed his fingers on her cellphone that he held in his little hands.

"Can I help you?" she asked warily.

"Is this where Emma Swan lives? We're her parents. I'm Mary Margaret, but you may call me Snow and this is my husband, David," the woman said cheerfully as she introduced herself. "And this little man is Neal, Emma's baby brother."

David held out an insulated picnic duffle bag. "We brought some food that I know Emma will love. Deviled eggs, potato salad and in the heated compartment there's a tray of bacon macaroni and cheese."

"Oh.. how thoughtful of you," Regina replied carefully. She stepped to the side and held the door open. "Just head down the hallway to the right, you'll find your daughter in the kitchen."

David and Snow thanked her then headed straight for the kitchen, picnic duffle in tow. Regina raised her eyebrow, clearly seeing where Emma got her carefree attitude.

In the center of a crowd in the kitchen, Emma was halfway through her second ice cold manhattan that Elsa had made. It was so incredibly frosty that Emma held a napkin around it to keep her fingers from sticking to it. She downed the Manhattan and laughed as Jefferson shared a story about Regina and a three day anime convention she had to work through in the hotel.

"And then, the poor thing got called at 3am for a third disturbance complaint. When she got up to the room, it was full of people in animal costumes! She called in sick the next day and complained of being traumatized." Jefferson said, wildly flailing his hands about.

Emma snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter. She looked up just in time to see a two-year-old boy scamper across the kitchen towards her. Without missing a beat, she scooped the child up in her arms and grinned. "Hey, monster! When did you get here?" Neal made a sound that should be akin to a roar, but sounded more like a high pitched giggle-roar.

"Hi, Em." Snow said with a smile. David had set to work putting out the food they had brought. "We just got here. The roads up to this place are confusing. Your father got turned around three times."

Mulan walked into the kitchen as she pulled off her cooking apron. Her cousins followed behind her with aluminum trays full of Korean barbecue, grilled chicken, grilled summer vegetables, burger patties and hot dogs. "All right! That's the last of it! Food's all in!" she announced.

Killian handed Emma another drink, this time it was a Moscow Mule with the vodka she had bought. Graham had been in the midst of a conversation with Ruby while Elsa, Jefferson and Belle chatted away in another corner. Regina had returned to the kitchen where she promptly poured herself of the Inkblot Cabernet Franc and sighed happily as she sipped it. She poured a glass of Moscato for each of Emma's parents, who took them with a quiet thanks. She had no idea what they would like, but you really couldn't go wrong with a sweet, refreshing moscato in a group like this. Aurora busied herself with retrieving the paper plates that they had stocked up on, making sure there were enough stacks for everyone. Mulan's cousins decided that it was their duty to help Aurora, although she constantly swatted them away for their efforts.

Mulan held up her beer. "So, we want to thank everyone for coming today to welcome our new housemates, Regina Mills and Emma Swan!" The others held up their glasses, whatever they might be. "Now that that's over with, let's eat all this food, drink all this booze and warm this house up!"

The afternoon rolled by lazily as people fed themselves, chatted with new acquaintances and continuously drank the liquor that was no less than bountiful. Mulan walked into the kitchen, holding a fresh beer. She tilted her head curiously as she saw Aurora, Belle and Ruby standing in front of the dessert table.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong." Belle replied. "Did you know that Ruby's grandma is the owner of Mo'Pie Bakery?!"

"No way!" Mulan exclaimed. "I love that place. Is that where this apple pie's from?"

"Yep!" Ruby answered proudly. "Granny insisted that I bring one for the party. The question is… do we split it up three ways… er, I guess four now. Or do we make enough slices for everyone?"

"You better be slicing a piece for me, if you're going to do anything at all," said a voice behind them. They jumped slightly and turned to find Emma leaning against the frame of the kitchen archway. She was clearly intoxicated, but wore a happy grin on her face. "Cause that is the best. shit. ever."

"Okay, five ways." Aurora said as she reached for the pie knife. Just as she was getting ready to put the blade to the flaky crust, they were interrupted by giggling as Elsa and Regina stumbled into the kitchen. "Damn it…"

Regina straightened her posture and did her best to look not-so-drunk. The almost empty bottle of ice wine was in Elsa's hand and both women held semi-full glasses of the golden sweet wine. "What…" she began, clearly choosing her words carefully, "Are you ladies doing to that pie?"

"Oh, lord… Is that a pie from Mo'Pie? Holy shit snacks, I love that place! Their pies are so good… I mean, mine are great, but those… those are classic." Elsa slurred. "Hey, Gina.. we need some pie."  
"Apple pie or…?" Regina asked, trailing off as she was clearly insinuating something that was _not_ an apple pie. Or it was, in some references.

"Ha!" Mulan snorted. "I see what you did there."

Regina rolled her eyes. "So, are we splitting up this pie or what?"

Emma had wandered over to the drink counter and made herself a mint julep with the organic mint plant Aurora kept in the kitchen. "Yeah, we were… but now that you guys showed up, we need to re… re… um… figure out how to cut it."

Ruby giggle, "Is it getting hard to math, Em?"

"Maths is hard! Especially after this tasty minty julepy." Emma said, shaking her glass slightly to make the ice rattle.

Regina snorted as she waved her glass in the air, then held it out for Elsa to top off. "Whatever. You hot blondes do whatever you want. Just make sure there's some there for me."

Emma leaned over towards Elsa. "Hot blondes? Are you seeing her? Or… was she talking about Aurora? 'Cause I dunno if Mulan would like that… or maybe she'd just agree." Elsa shrugged as Emma's eyes grew wide. "Wait, does she mean me? No way, she hates me."

"Shut up!" Regina hissed. "Jesus Christ, Emma, you talk to much."

"They fight like a married couple." Belle giggled.

Ruby sputtered a laugh, "Emma fights that way with everyone. Including me. She's the most annoying patrol partner ever."

"I am not!" Emma whined.

"Shh!" Aurora hissed. "I'm gonna do it." Suddenly, the girls fell silent as Aurora carefully divided up the pie into eight pieces. As if they were trying to hide it from everyone else in the house, they quietly passed around small paper plates and forks as she issued out slices like war rations.

Satisfied sighs echoed from each of the girls as they devoured their pies in a mix of drunken stupor or simple sugar rushes. Mulan was making visceral noises as she devoured her pie. Aurora rolled her eyes at her girlfriend, "Do you need some private time with that pie?"

"No...maybe."

Emma and Ruby made similar noises, moaning and sighing contentedly. Regina snorted in obvious derision, "Could you possibly be any more lewd with that pie? It sounds like a god damn porno in here."

"You watch porn?" Emma asked, looking up at the woman curiously. "Come on, tells us what kind you like."

"What?! That's none of your business!"

"She didn't deny it." Elsa pointed out. Regina shot her a death glare.

"Elsa!" Regina scolded her friend, catching Belle's eye roll in the corner of the eye. "Ms. Durand, if you roll your eyes that far, it's likely they'll get stuck that way."

"Rude! Don't speak to me like I'm a child." Belle retorted.

"Ladies, ladies...There's one more left." Mulan pointed out, interrupting Regina's stab at Belle. Not that Aurora's classmate couldn't hold her own. She was just as sharp as Regina. She sipped her beer, then scowled at the unpleasant mixture of flavors in her mouth as beer and apple pie met up for the party.

Regina felt a tug at her side as tiny hands pulled at her pocket. She looked down to see Emma's brother looking up at her hopefully. Emma smirked. "He likes you."

"I'm irresistible to anyone," Regina answered haughtily. Her buzz had whittled away slightly after eating the pie. "What does he want?"

Emma shrugged, "Either the last slice of pie or your attention. He's two and you're a pretty lady. He's kinda got a thing for pretty ladies."

"Yeah, like his sister." Ruby snickered.

Mulan snorted again. She wasn't sure if they were just drunk or if Emma was actually trying to off-handedly flirt with the woman who picked on her day in and day out.

After giving Neal five minutes of her undivided attention, Regina settled on the idea that he really just wanted the last slice of pie. She announced the boy's need to Emma, who simply rolled her eyes and said, "Go ahead. Just watch out for your clothes."

Within moments of handing Neal the pie on a paper plate, the flaky dessert was turned into a mashed up mess of apples, cinnamon and not-so-flaky crust. A good portion of it was on his face and the rest on his hands. He gleefully showed the plate to Emma, so she would praise him for finishing his pie.

The blonde snickered, "Go show Mom. She'll love it."

Neal's eyes lit up as he held the paper plate in his hands and began pattering towards the living room. The girls followed him, suddenly interested in what Emma's mother would do with her cinnamon apple faced son. Emma, Mulan, Aurora, Regina and Elsa followed Neal out into the living room, leaving Belle and Ruby alone in the kitchen.

"So... have you known Emma a long time?" Belle asked, attempting to fill the silent void akin to new acquaintances.

"Oh, we're partners at work. Y'know, patrols and stuff. Also, she's a great friend. She saved my life once." Ruby looked over at Belle who was putting away empty cups and dirty plates into the trash bin, making sure to carefully separate which was compostable and which was trash. Ruby swallowed the knot in her throat. She had a soft spot for pretty and bookish girls, but this one took the cake with her Australian accent.

"That's so cool," Belle said coyly. "Aurora and I have known each other for a while. We met in an Ethics class. That's where I met my ex-boyfriend."

"Oh..." Ruby mumbled. For some reason, her heart sank. It's not like she knew Belle, but she was somehow disappointed by this news of a boyfriend, even if it was an ex.

"He never took me to Mo'Pie, even though I've _always_ wanted to go." Belle said pointedly, sidling up to Ruby. "Maybe you could take me sometime?"

That offending knot that kept building up in Ruby's throat now decided to sink into the pit of her stomach. She was horrible at this. For all her wit and sass, she locked up when a girl came onto her. "I.. um.. S.. wait... wh.."

Belle narrowed her eyes slightly as Ruby stumbled over her words. Was she wrong? Maybe Ruby wouldn't be interested in her. Perhaps the ex-boyfriend thing was too much, but Belle really couldn't hide the fact that she had been seeing her Ethics professor, Dr. Robert Gold. That was a bad mistake and his son Bae seemed to always find a reason to disagree with her. She wasn't that interested anyways. It was just that Dr. Gold had access to research materials she couldn't get to and he had that sort of... old world charm.

Mulan came skidding through the kitchen, shaking Belle and Ruby out of their awkward interaction. "Guys, guys... come out here with your drinks. We're gonna play a game!"

Belle snatched up her glass of wine as she brushed by Ruby, making it a point to lightly touch their hands together. "Maybe we can... talk.. later." Ruby swallowed that damn knot again as a new one had built up in her throat and nodded, utterly speechless.

When Belle and Ruby joined the others in the living room, Mulan's cousins were saying goodnight with the excuse that they had Lion Dance practice in the morning. Mulan made sure they packed up extra food in plastic tubs for their families. At the very least, there was no way the food would go to waste. They said their goodbyes and waved to Regina and Emma, welcoming them to the house.

Emma was perched next to her mom with little Neal on her lap. The boy yawned and waddled from his perch on his mother's lap to Emma, where he promptly climbed onto her legs and laid down.

"That's the sign for us to be heading out as well," Snow announced. She got up to scoop up her son from his comfy nest while David gathered up the cups and plates they had been using and put them away in the kitchen.

"Thanks for coming by today, Mom." Emma said as she helped hand off Neal.

"It was our pleasure, honey. Your roommates are very nice and this is a wonderful house. Just make sure you don't forget us and come back home once in awhile." Snow skillfully held Neal in one arm while she shouldered his supply bag with the other.

While Emma said her goodbyes to her family, the others set to work in the kitchen. They cleaned up the food and moved combined trays of comestibles to the counters so they could make room for their game. When Emma returned, she found them with ping pong balls and red and blue Solo cups in triangles of 6, filled halfway with beer and wine.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Mulan announced excitedly. She disappeared a moment later, leaving everyone in the kitchen with puzzled looks.

"What is she doing?" Belle asked Aurora. Her friend shrugged, equally confused by Mulan's outburst.

"Really? Beer pong?" Regina sighed. "This feels like USF all over again."

"You went to USF?" Emma asked incredulously. She barely attended junior college before going into the Police Academy, after a tour of service in the US Navy.

"I did my masters at USF. I started out at Cornell." Regina answered, as if her education were something of a fleeting memory.

Elsa smirked, "Don't mind her, Emma. She talks like it's not a big deal, but her diplomas are all hanging up in her office."

Regina sneered, "My mother sent them to me. She said they did no good sitting at home."

"Your mother has a point," Jefferson pointed out. "Look where those degrees got you."

The brunette shrugged, "It's not like I'm the General Manager, am I?"

"Not yet. But it's not like you aren't on the pathway to it," Elsa pointed out.

"Ugh, it'll take me forever to get my masters." Belle whined. "Why did I go into Library Sciences?"

"Because you like books and literature," Aurora reminded her. Although she was now on her third bachelor's degree, after having completed her masters in Ecology.

"How about you, Emma?" Ruby asked. "We never really talked about it, since we met at the Alameda County office."

"Oh, um…" Emma muttered as she shifted on her feet. She hated talking about her education. It wasn't as glamorous as those around her. "I served in the Navy, then went into the Police Academy. That's all."

"Um, that's kind of an awesome thing," Belle said. Emma smiled a little.

"It seems very typical of you, but even I have to applaud someone who goes into military service. You have my appreciation. For now." Regina agreed, partially rolling her eyes.

"If that's a compliment from you, I'll take it." Emma grinned.

"That's pretty much how I met Emma," Killian said from the back of the group where he had been pouring drinks with Graham. "We were both stationed in Naples."

"Fancy." Graham snorted behind his beer. "Some of us just went straight into the Academy."

"This isn't a competition, you guys." Aurora sighed.

Mulan came scampering back into the kitchen carrying three bent up hangers that were duct taped to suction cups. Where she got any of it was anyone's guess. The sound of the garage door slamming shut echoed in her wake.

"We're not just playing Beer Pong." Mulan said as she began placing three of the bent hangars on either side of the table and two shot glasses. "We're playing Quidditch Beer Pong."

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Harry Potter, yo." Mulan said plainly. "It's just like beer pong, but you have to get the ping pong ball through the hoops first." Sure enough, the bent hangers were made into loops. Mulan held up a small yellow bouncing ball, the type that costs a quarter from a machine at the grocery store.

"So how do you play?" Elsa asked, looking at the setup curiously.

"First we split into teams. There's ten of us, so it's perfect." Mulan opened a drawer and pulled out ten stir sticks that had been pilfered from a Starbucks or Peet's at one point or another. She marked five of them with a sharpie, then held all ten in her hand as she went around making everyone pull a stick. "Marked sticks on the Red Solo Cup side. Blank sticks on the Blue Solo Cup side."

Regina rolled her eyes again as she ended up on the same side as Emma, along with Killian, Ruby and Belle. Aurora, Graham, Jefferson, and Elsa joined Mulan.

"Ok," Mulan said as she held up the two balls. "There's normally seven positions, but we'll go with five. Two Beaters, a Seeker, a Chaser and a Keeper. Everyone takes turns in the different roles as we move through rounds. The job of the Seeker is to get this little yellow ball into the shot glass. This is the Golden Snitch. The Chaser from the other team can move the shot glass or try to distract the Seeker. If a ball lands in the shot glass, the entire team takes a shot. If a ball lands in the beer or wine cups, then the opposing team's Keeper drinks the whatever's in it."

"Couldn't we just play regular Beer Pong?" Aurora whined.

"Wait, wait, this could be fun!" Belle said excitedly.

"Why does the whole team take a shot?" Graham asked.

"Cause you're a team. In real Quidditch, catching the Snitch basically wins the game. In

Quidditch Beer Pong, the whole team goes down." Mulan explained.

"Yeah, this will be fun." Killian snickered.

"It _is_ fun!" Mulan grinned and held up the white ping pong ball. "This is the quaffle. The job of the Keeper for this game is to get the quaffle in the beer cups, but they have to pass through the hoops. The beaters can try to block the quaffle with these." Mulan held up some wooden chopsticks.

"This has a lot of things going on for a drinking game." Elsa said. Mulan handed her a chopstick. "I'll beat the shit out of that ping pong ball."

"Seekers take the first position, then the Keeper. The Beaters and Chaser for the other team will try to beat the quaffle out or move the shot glass so the Snitch can't get in."

Regina and Emma stood on one side of the table, facing off against Elsa, Graham and Jefferson. As if in sync, the moment Mulan said 'go,' Regina and Emma took aim of their balls. Regina's snitch casually sailed through the air and landed into the shot glass before Graham could even notice it. It landed at the same time as Emma's quaffle made it through the large hoop, dodging Elsa and Jefferson's chopsticks due to their drunken coordination. It landed in a cup and swam in the wine.

Mulan huffed. "Damn. Our team takes a shot and I'll drink."

"Good, my tolerance sucks." Aurora shrugged. Dixie cups were dropped on the table as shots of bourbon were poured and passed around. After Mulan's team successfully drank their shots and she had downed her wine, they switched the balls for the next round.

A second pair of chopsticks was handed off to Belle and Ruby as Killian took the role of Chaser. Mulan gripped the little golden ball in her hand as Elsa sidled up next to her with the ping pong ball. The golden ball was airborne first and landed in the shot glass by bouncing off the rim just as Killian tried to move it out of the way. Elsa threw the ping pong ball through a smaller hooper, completely bypassing Belle and Ruby who had locked eyes for a mere second, long enough to miss the ball. The ping pong ball landed in a corner cup.

"This game isn't going to last very long," Emma pointed out as she poured five shots of whiskey.

Sure enough, they managed to get two more rounds in before Belle and Aurora tapped out. They wandered into the living room to flop onto the couch with bottles of water. The teams were adjusted and each team lost a Beater. Mulan insisted that they could keep going until eventually Graham passed out on a chair in the kitchen and Elsa left to curl up on the couch as well. Jefferson said his goodbyes as he announced that his Uber had arrived to pick him up. Elsa had been the one to drive them to the party and he insisted that he needed to get home.

Giving up on the game, Emma, Mulan, Ruby, Killian and Regina sat around the half setup Quidditch Pong table with the dixie cup shot glasses.

"I'm shurp…shur…shurprised you can hold your liquor, Regina." Emma slurred.

The brunette leaned back in her seat and lolled her head back, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm just full of surprises."

"Hey, Em.. I know you can drink more than that. We used to drink all night in Naples." Killian said. He poured two more shots and passed one to Emma. "Come on, it's not like you're working tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know," she said as she took the shot from her friend. She took the shot and crumpled up the dixie cup, then tried to aim it into the garbage bin. She scowled as it barely made it halfway. "How the hell did I shoot ping pong balls into a cup when I can't even make a garbage basket? Shiet… Oh, hey, Rubes… what's up with you and Aurora's friend?"

Ruby coughed on her water. "Wh-what?"

Mulan giggled. "Dude, if you were trying to be slick about giving her the eyes, you totes failed."

Regina sat up straight again and leaned forward, reaching for a glass and a half bottle of wine. "She's cute, at least."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You think? Yeah, I guess if you like the bookish type."

"Stop, stop. I mean, she's nice and… I dunno… okay, maybe." Ruby admitted. Mulan clapped excitedly.

"If you're just gonna do girly talk shit, I'm gonna go to the living room. The couch better still have room on it." Killian said as he got up.

"Bye, buddy!" Emma said, half jokingly. She enjoyed his company, but sometimes it was just nice to chat with other people instead of her two cohorts. Killian stood up and stumbled into the living room, finding the only place to crash was the recliner in the corner.

"We've got a lot of cleanup to do." Mulan sighed.

Regina sipped at her glass of wine, red faced and sleepy eyed. "We can take care of it in the morning."

"By morning, you mean noon, right?" Emma asked.

"Not all of us are prone to sleeping all day, Swan."

"Get up early. It'll be fun to see you hungover," the blonde smirked. Regina rolled her eyes and took another sip from her wine.

It was nearing 3 in the morning when the girls decided they couldn't drink anymore or stay awake. Mulan dragged her feet as she got up and gathered up Aurora from the living room and down the hall to their bedroom.

Ruby plopped onto the couch next to Belle and closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened them again to find that Belle had scooted over in her sleep to use Ruby's leg as a pillow. Not one to complain, she sat there with a grin as Emma passed by with a smirk.

"Good luck with that, partner."

"Already winning." Ruby grinned.

Regina put away whatever glasses were left before heading into the living room to help Emma dish out extra blankets to everyone who had fallen asleep. "You don't have to help."

"We can't just leave them here all drunk and passed out." Regina said pointedly.

"Yeah, I know. But I can give them all blankets. You can go upstairs and go to bed."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"You know, you'd be cute if it weren't for that hella sketch attitude."

"Hella sketch?" Regina repeated Emma's phrase with a raised eyebrow. Now out of blankets and their friends sufficiently comfortable, Regina started for the stairs. She gripped the banister as she and Emma ascended to their rooms.

"You're _so_ not from California. Sketch is short for sketchy."

"How am I sketchy?"

"Cause…" Emma began. "You're like all sweet one moment and then you snap like an angry dog."

"Do not call me a dog." Regina glowered as she reached her door.

"Like a cute temperamental puppy. Kinda like Mushu." Emma giggled, but Regina simply snorted her discontent and disappeared into her room. Emma flopped onto her bed and giggled to herself. "Yeah… totally like a snippy little puppy." She was still smiling at her clever little quip when she fell asleep.

The next morning, Belle, Ruby and Aurora meandered around the kitchen making breakfast to stave off hangovers. Having spent some time working in her grandmother's bakery, Ruby made muffins for everyone while Aurora and Belle worked on bacon, kale omelettes and cleaning up the remaining messes from the night before. They took out some leftovers that were suitable for breakfast and set those out as well so they would be consumed instead of starting the process of growing mold in the fridge.

Regina was the next to show up with disheveled hair and dark eyes. She promptly made herself a cup of coffee with the Kureig and sat down with a muffin. Elsa appeared moments later and did the same. They chatted about work, although it sounded more like groaning from the massive headaches.

A loud groan came from the doorway as Emma dragged her feet in. "Why are we up at 8am?" she whined. "Jesus, it's bright in here."

"That's just the hangover talking. The lights aren't even on," Aurora said as she handed Emma a cup of coffee. "Mulan already got up and went out for her run."

"Are you serious? Isn't she hungover?"

Aurora shrugged. "She should be, but she bounces back surprisingly easy."

"I thought Asians were supposed to have a low tolerance for alcohol." Ruby said. The others looked at her with wide eyes. "What? It's just a question."

Belle shook her head and smiled. "I need to get my things and head home. I have two papers to finish for class on Tuesday and I've barely gotten started."

"I'll help you!" Ruby volunteered. They disappeared from the kitchen together, just as Graham and Killian arrived to get coffee.

They all ate a meal of leftovers, muffins and coffee before dispersing to prepare to go home. Mulan returned after her run, gleefully sweaty and holding her phone. She looked around the house to show Emma something, but found her in the kitchen with Belle and Ruby, dividing up the alcohol spoils of the evening.

"Oh, hey Mulan. Aurora's in the shower." Emma greeted her.

"Ugh, fine. I hella need a shower, but I guess I can wait. Is there food left?"

Ruby pointed to a plate on the table. "Some omelette and a muffin. Coffee?"

Mulan opened up the fridge and pulled out an orange juice carton. "No thanks, I have this unpasteurized organic OJ from Whole Foods I need to finish." She pocketed her phone and poured herself a glass of juice before sitting down to eat.

Graham, Killian and Elsa said their goodbyes and headed home. Belle announced that it was time for her to go as well, once Aurora had rejoined them in the kitchen. She walked her friend to the door, leaving Emma, Regina, Ruby and Mulan alone.

"So... Rubes..." Emma started playfully. "Something good happen last night? You know, when we all went to bed?"

Ruby shrugged. "She added me on Facebook, but it's just whatever. I mean, she said she had a boyfriend before."

"Had? As in past tense?" Mulan inquired.

"Yeah, I guess they broke up or whatever, so she probably isn't even interested in girls. At least we can be friends." Ruby said non-chalantly.

"And you're okay with that?" Regina asked as she walked over to the dishwasher to unload the glasses and clean dishes.

Ruby sighed. "I'll take what I can get."

Mulan pulled out her phone excitedly. She had known Belle for awhile, since she and Aurora were schoolmates. So naturally, she followed Belle on Instagram and Facebook. "Keep at it. Maybe you'll get lucky."

She handed her phone to Ruby who looked at it and grinned. On the screen was Belle's Instagram with a new photo from the night before. It was a selfie, taken at a strange angle to catch the ends of Ruby's long hair and just the corner of her face, but there was no doubt that it was Ruby's red lipstick on the person next to Belle. Her head was on Ruby's leg with the caption "Best. Pillow. Ever." and a couple hashtags: #slyfox #legpillow #hotcops

Ruby's grin was plastered on her face. Emma shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, good luck with that one, Rubes."

"Ha! We'll see. I better get going, too. I want more sleep before our shift tomorrow." Ruby escorted herself after saying goodbye to everyone, leaving the girls alone in their house.

"I like your parents, Emma. They're nice."

Emma rolled her eyes, "My mom's kinda weird sometimes. She's a schoolteacher, so being around her is like being treated like a fourth grader all the time. My dad's pretty cool, when he's not a dork. He's in the Coast Guard, so they live up in Pacifica."

"They drove all the way from Pacifica to come see you? That's nice of them," Regina said with feigned interest.

"Where's your family? You said you're from New York." Mulan asked.

"My father passed away when I was younger, but my mother lives in New York with my sister. They keep threatening to come out here to visit."

"I'd like to see what your sister is like. I have a feeling she's the total opposite of you. All nice and sweet and probably blonde." Emma laughed.

"Actually...she's a redhead like my mom...and a competitive bitch. She's a chemist working for Hermes. She makes perfumes." Regina smirked. She didn't always get along with her sister, Zelena, but once in awhile, she did have a little pride for her.

They spent the rest of the day, lounging on the couch and munching on leftovers from breakfast and the day before, making it a point to stay far away from the alcohol. After several cups of coffee and a movie on ABC Family, the girls had fallen asleep to wave off the last bits of hangover.

Mulan sat up and looked around at her two new housemates who were quicky becoming friends and her girlfriend who had curled up on the lounge chair. Emma had passed out sitting up and Regina had unconsciously leaned against the blonde in her sleep. Mulan smiled. The house was definitely warmed this weekend and she began to look forward to her daily life with these three in it.

* * *

_**Thank you, readers, for the follows and reviews! Hope you liked Episode 2. Coming up next... Burning Man?! Bleeding heart hippies and 90's pop. This house is ca-ray-zay! Thank you again for your support and please review Episode 2!**_


	3. Episode 3: Burning Man is 8 Days Long!

Episode 3

**Burning Man is 8 Days Long?!**

Mulan was busy packing up Mushu's dog toys and portable gear while Emma crouched on the floor with the little Shitzu. "Seriously? Eight days? In the desert. You must be out of your mind."

"You don't understand, Emma. Burning Man is an artistic, cultural, communal event. the entire community itself is an actual functioning society. I'm packing so much fresh vegetables to barter, it isn't even funny anymore!" Mulan explained as she finished up packing Mushu's bag.

"Do you have to take him with you? I'll babysit him. Anything so that I'm not stuck at home here with just Regina."

The dark haired girl looked up and smirked. "Is it really that bad, though? I mean, yeah, she can be kinda bitchy sometimes, but I think it's all a front." Mulan shoved a bag of natural apple dog treats into the bag and zipped it up. "Maybe she picks on you cause she likes you."

Emma's face turned a shade of crimson that was impossible to hide. "Y..you're crazy. She's not a 10-year-old boy. Besides, she's not... wait... is she? You think Regina's gay? I thought maybe she was just an ally."

"Not sure, to be completely honest. Maybe you can use the next eight days to find out!" Mulan laughed.

Despite Emma's whining, Mulan continued to pack up the small RV she had borrowed from her Uncle Andy for the long haul to Black Rock Desert. They had talked about it for weeks. Tickets were bought ages ago and Mulan had been building a stash of non-perishable foods from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. For the last week, Aurora had been packing bags and organizing boxes of food. They were ready to journey off into the desert with thousands of other people to experience a week of art and community. At least, that's what they insisted what was happening.

Regina had shrugged it off and wished them a safe journey. Burning Man from her perspective was different. Her job suffered because of it. Occupancy in the hotels were low throughout the city, restaurants suffered except for the ones that drew in European tourists and there were no group contracts or small events happening for Regina to work on. Burning Man was the signal for the Bay Area to take a breath. The hippies were out of town.

It was Saturday evening and Mulan had already calculated the driving time necessary to get into the event space and set up camp before sundown on Sunday. The plan was to drive eight hours throughout the night and arrive at the desert campsite early Sunday morning. Although they had planned to leave around 9 pm, it was actually closer to midnight when they were finally packed up and ready to go. There were constant moments of Mulan remembering something she forgot or Aurora wanting to reorganize how things were being stashed in the RV.

Emma and Regina stood on the driveway as Mulan settled into the driver's seat of the RV with Mushu on her lap. She put the small dog on the passenger seat just as Aurora emerged from the back and moved the dog again.

"Don't eat all the kale chips in one sitting, Emma." Mulan said. She held up her own bag of kale chips and took one out to munch on.

Regina rolled her eyes, "I have a feeling those chips won't make it to morning."

"Not true," Emma pouted. "You sure you guys have everything finally?"

Aurora looked into the back of the RV. "I think so. I mean, there's still plenty of space but I don't think we should have anything else. We need room for our traveling companions."

"Oh right, Jewels and Saffron. They should be at their apartment waiting." Mulan said. "All right, we're headed out. Don't burn down the house and don't kill each other while we're away."

"Can't promise anything." Regina and Emma said in unison. They glared at each other for the unexpected timing.

As the RV pulled away, Emma snorted. "But 'Jewels' and 'Saffron'? How much more hippy can you get with names like that."

Regina purposely ignored her. "It's late. I'm going to bed." Emma shrugged and followed Regina into the house. After the doors were locked and the security alarm was set, they went their separate ways for the night.

* * *

Regina woke up to the scent of bacon and cooked butter seeping into her bedroom. She sighed. It was Sunday morning and she wanted nothing more than to sleep in. She rolled over and stared at the clock on her nightstand. It glowed a menacing 7:00am, reminding her that sleeping in was not an option. Certainly not with the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. She knew it was Emma and that the annoying blonde hadn't turned on the kitchen fan. Regina groaned tiredly as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and climbed out of it. She stretched her arms above her, working out the tired and constricted muscles in her body. Although it was just Emma in the house, Regina felt that it would be inappropriate to appear in the kitchen in just the short yoga shorts she wore to bed and her purple tank top. She pulled a light robe out of the closet and slipped it over her shoulders before heading downstairs. She held her phone in her hands, glancing at the emails that had come in overnight.

As Regina approached the kitchen, she paused. There was a strange sound that carried through the air as she moved closer to the door, trying her best to not make a single sound. It was melodious, yet somewhat off beat. She peeked around the corner of the kitchen entry to find Emma in a white tank top and red underwear, swaying her hips as she flipped pancakes.

"If it isn't love... why do I feel this way? Why does she stay on my mind?" Emma sang. She bounced on her heels and made a little shuffling movement with her feet, emulating a 90's dance shuffle. "If it isn't love, why does it hurt so bad, make me feel so sad inside... if it isn't love?"

Regina ducked behind the wall and covered her mouth with her hand to suppress the giggle that threatened to emerge. As much as she hated to admit it, Emma was exceptionally cute this morning. Honestly, she didn't know what it was about the blonde that irked her so much that she felt it was necessary to pick on her whenever she could. They had some moments where they had be civil... or at the very least, cordial with each other. At times it seemed as if Emma had tried to slip her a compliment here or there, but Regina was an expert at blowing off compliments. Maybe, just maybe, Regina had a teensy bit of a crush on Emma. Maybe. Not that she would ever let the blonde be privy to that information. Instead, she decided that this little singing incident would be worth keeping.

She quickly accessed the video camera on her phone and held it up around the corner, just in time to catch Emma spinning around with her iPod in her hand and headphones in her ears. Regina stayed hidden for a minute as she recorded Emma dancing away and singing to herself in the kitchen.

"Maybe she'll take me back… I made a big mistake… Now I can feel it… I really love her! Love her? What?!" Emma made hand motions with the spatula as if she were talking to a crew of backup singers. "It took my heart, to shatter in a thousand pieces…before I'd ever drop my pride…losing love worrying about my image…really helped me realize that… if it isn't love, why do I feel this way? Why does she stay on my mind?"

Regina put her phone away and smirked. She'd gotten enough footage that if she wanted to blackmail Emma, she had something tangible. She rounded the corner and knocked on the wall.

Emma jumped five feet in the air, halfway through her dance moves. She spun around and her eyes grew three times larger. She yanked the blaring headphones from her ears. They dangled from around her neck with the sound echoing in poor quality from the tiny white buds. "Regina?! I.. um… hi… I mean, good morning? Um… pancakes?"

"You were making enough noise that the whole neighborhood woke up." Regina said calmly as she took a seat at the kitchen counter.

"I was not." Although the other woman hadn't said if she wanted breakfast or not, Emma was already plating up two pancakes and some bacon and placed it in front of Regina. "Coffee?" Without waiting for an answer, Emma began putting a coffee pod into the Kureig.

"Please." Regina replied as she picked up her fork. "Tell me, do you often decide to make breakfast in your underwear?"

The blonde's face turned red. She tried to dig up some sort of snarky comment to throw back at the brunette, but quickly decided against it. "You're usually up and gone by the time I get up, so yes, I do." Emma cleaned up the pans and equipment she used to make breakfast and sat down across from Regina with a plate of her own. She got up a moment later and retrieved the coffee. Emma set the steaming mug of black liquid in front of Regina and set to making her own.

"Your food is going to get cold." Regina said quietly as she cut a piece of pancake with her fork.

"It's fine. If I start eating before my coffee is ready, I'll choke."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Emma went to the fridge and retrieved a small milk carton and then her cup of coffee before sitting down again. "Sure it does. when I start eating, I don't like to get up. I'll end up choking on my food if I don't have something to drink before I start."

"You're an idiot." Regina read emails on her phone while she ate breakfast. "If you chew slowly, you won't choke."

Emma held her fork up like a teacher's pointer. "I love food and I love eating, but I'm not gonna waste my day sitting down to a meal. There's always more things to do and not enough hours to do it in. That's why I eat quickly and get a move on."

"Don't point with your fork. It's rude," Regina scolded the blonde, although she didn't look up from her phone which was a complete contradiction when speaking about table manners. Emma huffed audibly, causing the other woman to sigh and put her fork down. "Your manners are atrocious. Additionally, dining is an experience, not a chore. One of these days, you need to experience a meal that isn't rushed through."

"Oh? Are you offering to take me then?" Emma teased, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

Regina snorted haughtily. "Not in this lifetime, Ms. Swan."

"Aww," Emma smirked. "I bet you'd be all jazzed up and gorgeous for a date. Come on, you can tell me. Are you seeing anyone? A boyfriend, maybe? Or a girlfriend?" Now would be as good a time as any to get more information on Regina. The woman had been exceptionally good at keeping things to herself, so the rest of the household was still in awe of Regina's mysteriousness.

"You're awfully nosey this early in the morning. I hardly think my personal life is any of your business." Regina answered as she got up from the table. She put her dishes away in the dishwasher and washed her hands. "Thanks for breakfast."

Without another word, Regina disappeared from the kitchen. Emma shrugged and whistled quietly. "Par for the course with that woman…"

* * *

The first day passed on quietly. Other than their breakfast together, Emma and Regina hardly saw each other. The young Sheriff left for work while Regina had gone out for a morning run. When Emma returned home, Regina was out with Elsa having dinner. The next two days continued like this, either casually passing each other as they were coming or going, or having no interaction at all. Every time Emma thought she would have a moment alone to get to chat with Regina, even just to find out little tidbits about her, the older woman was either quick to excuse herself or decided to turn up the level of iciness in her attitude. She was aggravating, gorgeous and impossible. Ruby was right, Emma had terrible taste in women.

Emma sat on her bed and scratched at her head in frustration, making a mess of her long blonde hair. She picked a stray hair off of the bedspread and sighed. It had been three days that Aurora and Mulan were gone. She was getting pretty lonely at home. Even Mushu was gone and Regina wasn't exactly the best company these days.

It was the just after lunch when Emma came home from dropping her car off at the repair shop. She loved her old Bug, but it loved to crap out from time to time. It was high time for a belt replacement and an oil change, so Emma had departed at the start of the morning and took a taxi home after leaving her car. Regina was gone when she came back. The only thing in the driveway was Mulan's electric Honda Fit. She wondered where Regina had taken off to, although she hardly kept track of the woman's schedule.

The front door opened and Emma froze on her bed. Regina worked in the city, so it was highly unlikely that she would be coming home this early in the day. Did I forget to lock the door? She shook her head violently as her thoughts ran a marathon in her skull. No… I know I locked it. Maybe it's one of Mulan's cousins? Wait, why am I freaking out? I'm a cop! I have a gun!

Filled with new resolve, Emma yanked her handgun out of its holster that was draped over a chair. Carefully moving out of her room and making as little noise as possible, she listened quietly for the intruder. She crouched at the top of the stairs, trying to gauge what the intruder was doing and if it was something worth risking her life for. What if there were two of them? Could she choose to pull the trigger and possibly take someone's life? Did she trust her own skill and judgement to only injure the attacker? As these thoughts and questions of competence ran through her brain, the faint sound of the piano keys floated into the air and echoed through the house.

Who the hell sneaks into a house and plays the piano?! She listened as the tell tale notes of Sam Smith's Not In That Way started to ascend into audible space. Emma crawled down the half flight of stairs to the first turn and peeked over the half wall that acted as a banister. Sitting at Mulan's family's baby grand piano in the living room was Regina, still dressed in her black suit and skirt with a high heeled foot working the pedals of the piano.

Emma held her breath. Not only did she want to stay hidden, but she felt that interrupting this rare moment was something she wasn't willing to risk. The sound of the piano was soothing, beautiful and captivating. But what made her freeze was the most unexpected sound of Regina's voice as she sang along. The first verses were low and soulful as the woman added her own acoustic flair. Emma took her phone out of her pocket and managed to prep it up on the edge of the wall and set it to record. Leaving the phone on the wall, she peeked around the corner where the wall stopped and became wooden railings. She watched Regina's back as she moved along with the music, reaching for keys and leaning her body forward.

"I'd never ask you, cause deep down… I'm certain I know what you'd say… You'd say I'm sorry, believe me… I love you but not in that way. And I hate to say I need you… I'm so reliant, I'm so dependent, I'm such a fool…"

She wasn't sure what came over her. Either it was Regina's surprisingly sultry voice or the words of the song that made Emma feel a sort of lump in her throat. She wiped a wet spot from the corner of her eye. Who was Regina singing about? Or was she just singing for the hell of it? When the brunette caught her dancing in the kitchen the other morning, Emma was more worried that she'd discover that she was thinking about Regina at the time. But this… this was sad. It was lonely and heartbreaking. Emma reached up and snatched her phone before she could be discovered. The music stopped and the sound of the piano cover closing over the keys followed. She quickly scrambled up the stairs and into her room, where she skidded out onto the balcony to pretend she was lounging in the sun.

"Oh.. you're home." Regina's voice carried through the room to Emma, somewhat fading as it moved past the sliding glass doors.

Emma opened one eye and looked over at Regina. She swallowed a tiny lump in her throat. She was scared of getting caught, of having seen Regina in an intimate moment of music, the movement of her back as she played, her fingers as they pressed the ivory keys.

She decided to play it cool. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I fell asleep out here waiting for my car to be done at the shop. Wanna come out here and join me?"

Regina shrugged. It was a nice day out and Emma's little balcony had a nice patch of shade from the neighbor's tree next door. She walked through Emma's room, rolling her eyes as the pile of clothes in the corner. The blonde was laying down outside on a pool chair with her arm over her eyes.

"Your room is a mess." Regina scolded as she sat down on the empty chair.

"S'okay." Emma mumbled. "I'll get to it later."

"How long have you been here?" the brunette asked quietly.

"Huh? Oh… I've been home for awhile and I fell asleep out here." She tried her best to sound indifferent, but the image of Regina at the piano was burned into her mind's eye.

"You heard it, didn't you?" The question was so abrupt that Emma was caught off guard. "Don't play dumb, Emma. You have the heaviest footsteps I've ever heard. It's like the Tin Man was dancing upstairs."

Emma sighed and sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"You did hear…" Regina sighed and stood up. "Whatever. I'll be out tonight, so don't worry about dinner for me or anything."

"Regina, wait…" Emma stood up as well, ready to bolt forward if the woman were to run.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I mean… it was beautiful… but really sad. I just… you can talk to me if you want."

The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes. "It's just music. Stop reading into it." Regina left her there on the balcony, wide eyed, apologetic and stunned. She threw herself on her bed and sighed. Her heart was racing into her throat, threatening to jump out and do Stomp! performances. She pulled out her phone and opened up her gallery. The short video of Emma dancing in the kitchen in her underwear played on the screen with her slightly off beat voice singing along to music that was only playing in her ears.

Regina giggled slightly and sat up. "Well, she heard me," she said to no one in particular. "I won't expect that she's sharp enough to figure out it was for her."

Her phone buzzed and the screen lit up with a message from Elsa. "Are we still going out tonight?"

Regina tapped at her phone to write a response. "Sure. Where are we going, though?"

"I promised I'd go to White Horse with you and be your wingman… wing-lady. Whatever. Let's just go. No expectations, right?"

"Right. Meet at 8?"

"I'll meet you there."

Regina found Elsa waiting outside of the White Horse on the corner of Telegraph Avenue and 66th Street. Her blonde friend was chatting with a skinny Asian drag queen who's black hair was done up in such a tall bouffant that made her tower over Elsa. The small woman turned at the sound of Regina's heels and gave a quiet whistle. She looked over her friend's outfit which consisted of dark skinny jeans tucked into a pair of Louboutin calf-high boots and a black drape shirt. She wore a simple white crystal Swarovski signature swan necklace and matching bracelet to compliment the simple black leather and chrome buckled belt around her waist.

"Wow… you clean up pretty nicely." Elsa teased.

The drag queen waved her hand in the air, "Someone's on the prowl tonight! Aren't you just the sassy looking thing?" When Regina didn't respond, the tall woman stuck out her hand. "I'm Crystaline."

"Hello." Regina answered quietly as she took the woman's large hand in her own. The handshake was half hearted and shallow, but it was as expected for a meeting that would be forgotten in twenty minutes. Regina turned to Elsa, "Ready to go inside?"

"Sure, sure. It was nice talking to you, Crystaline. Email me and we'll talk about that drag show in the city."

"Oh, of course, pumpkin. You two enjoy yourselves!" The woman waved them off as her multiple bangle bracelets clanked together.

"What was that about?" Regina asked as they walked into the bar. Being that it was 8 in the evening, the bar was relatively quiet. But Regina knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Hm? Oh, she said some of her performance troupe friends were looking for a new venue to put on a charity event, so I told her about the hotel." Elsa explained casually as they stepped up to the bar. She ordered herself a martini and bought a Blanton's Manhattan for Regina. They found a table near a pillar and took up the seats immediately before the bar got too full.

"Looks like it's going to get crowded tonight." Regina said nonchalantly as she watched a DJ set up equipment on a folding table.

"Good, maybe there will be some young blood for you to play with." Elsa grinned as she sipped at her drink. "Seriously, when's the last time you went on a date?"

Regina shrugged, "I'm too busy working for that."

"You can't use that excuse anymore since they gave you a secretary and added three more people to your department." While they bickered about work, the bar slowly filled up with more people.

Elsa began to play a game with Regina, evaluating the women that entered the bar and letting her companion give feedback on whether or not she found them attractive. Elsa's sole conclusion was that Regina was excessively picky.

"What about her?" Elsa asked, pointing towards an androgynous girl with short blonde hair and tattooed arms. "She's cute."

"If I had any intention of dating a woman that looked like a man, I'd have done so already. Do you see how many dykes are in this place?" Regina argued as she finished her Manhattan.

"Jesus, you're impossible. Are you ready for another drink?"

"Definitely." Regina said as she stood up. "I'll get it this time."

She slid off of her stool and left Elsa at the table while she brought the empty glasses to the bar. As she waited for her second round of drinks, a finger tapped on her shoulder. Regina spun around and found herself face to face with Emma's partner, Ruby Lucas.

"You're Regina, right? Em's house mate?"

"Oh… hello. Ruby, right?"

"Yeah. Didn't expect to see a classy lady like you here." Ruby said with a wink. "Are you here by yourself?"

"No, Elsa's here with me." Two drinks were placed in front of Regina and she handed her card to the bartender to hold a tab. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Ruby. I need to get back to Elsa."

"Sure, sure. See you around!" the taller brunette waved as Regina left her at the bar to rejoin Elsa. She narrowed her eyes as she approached, finding Elsa chatting away with a blonde woman. They came here to help Regina find a date, but so far, all the attention was going to her friend.

Elsa waved as Regina walked closer to the table. "Look who I found!" she exclaimed. Emma Swan turned around and looked Regina in the eyes.

"Woah.. hi. Um… I didn't expect to see you here." Emma said quietly.

Regina moved past her and handed Elsa her drink. "It's the closest bar," she lied. "I take it you're here with Ruby?"

"Yeah, did you see her? She dragged me along so she could meet up with Belle."

"Aurora's friend?"

"Yeah."

The DJ had finally finished setting up and the colored lights in the bar began flashing and changing colors as music began to fill the space. It wasn't long before Elsa was invited to dance, which she graciously accepted. Even if she came to be Regina's wing-lady, she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to have some fun.

Regina sat at the table with her drink and Emma. They said nothing to each other, but simply watched the people around them gather on the dance floor. Ruby joined them a moment later, carrying two beers.

"Sorry, Em. The keg blew so I had to wait for your beer." Ruby said as she placed a pint of Guinness in front of her friend.

"No problem. I'm just keeping Regina company."

"You were not." Regina glowered.

"Would you rather I leave you here to the whims of all these bull dykes?" Emma said with a smile. Regina purposely ignored her and sipped at her Manhattan. "So… did you come here to help Elsa find a date or something?"

"No." Regina answered sharply. "She's not gay."

"Like that means anything." Ruby giggled. "So are you here to find yourself a date?"

Regina's face turned slightly red, although Ruby wondered if it was from the drink or her comment. "Elsa and I just decided to go out for drinks. Sometimes we want to drink somewhere that isn't a sausage fest."

Emma shrugged, "It usually is a sausage fest in here. It's cause of that lesbian DJ. They'll be in once the drag show starts." She smirked, "Wanna dance?"

"Are you speaking to Ruby or myself?" Regina asked.

Ruby snorted to hold back her laughter, "Definitely not me." She winced as Emma backhanded her arm. "Shit, Em... I was kidding."

Regina rolled her eyes, "You expect me to risk scuffing up my Louboutins in that crowd? You must be out of your mind."

"Jesus Christ, Regina. How do you sit comfortably with that stick up your ass?" Emma sighed.

"Excuse me?"

"Seriously, you need to lighten up a bit. We're just all out here having fun."

Ruby downed the rest of her beer and slid off the barstool. "Oh, I see Belle. I'll catch up with you later, Em."

Ignoring Ruby's departure, Emma ran her hand through her hair in frustration. She wanted to relax, but the image of Regina playing the piano and singing was still stuck in her head. She wanted to see that side of the other woman, the one that let loose and sang her heart out. Regina took another sip of her drink. "I can't dance like that."

"Huh?" Emma blinked a few times and tilted her head in confusion.

"I said, I can't dance like that." Regina repeated herself, nodding towards a pair of men who were twerking their asses into various crotches. "I'd be out of place and I don't plan on degrading myself to learn how to do that."

Emma sputtered as she lost control of her laugh. "Is that why you're being so pouty? No one in their right mind dances like that. You can thank Miley Cyrus for that public display of debauchery. Let's do something else. Come on." Without another protest, Emma hopped off the bar chair and snatched up Regina's manhanttan and her own beer. Using the cocktail as bait, she led Regina into the smoker's patio where a blue felt pool table sat ready for players. They were lucky tonight, since everyone else was on the dance floor, they had most of the patio to themselves. "You seem like a brainiac. I challenge you to a game of pool. If I win, you treat me to dinner."

Regina narrowed her eyes at her blonde house mate. She strode over to the wall mounted pool cues and pulled one down. She held it up to eye level and measured it for warping. "And if I win?"

"I'll do all the dishwashing for a week...and I'll clean the bathroom." Emma offered. Regina glared at her. That didn't seem like a fair trade off if her payment was dinner. "Wash and wax my Tesla."

"What?!" Emma screeched. But she knew there was no way she could win this argument. "Fine, I'll wash and wax the hippie sports car."

"It's not a hippie sports car."

"It's electric." Emma pointed out.

"It also saves me on gas and I'm getting a Green Commuter voucher from work."

"Whatever. I'll wash your car. Do we have a deal?" Emma said, holding her hand out to Regina.

The dark haired woman looked down at Emma's hand, then smirked. "You're on."

Emma skillfully racked up the balls and offered Regina to break. She bit her lip slightly as Regina bent over the table to line up her pool cue. She watched from her peripheral vision as Regina reared back her arm and shot the cue forward, using her hip as momentum. The white cue ball rolled forward with exceptional force and scattered the other balls all over the place. A solid red ball landed into a corner pocket. "Solids." Regina called her balls and line up for the next shot. She managed to land two more balls before missing a shot and passing the turn to Emma.

The blonde smirked. "You're not half bad, Mills." She leaned over the table and landed two balls at the same time. "So, where are you taking me for dinner?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Regina sneered. "Hurry up and scratch so we can move on. My car needs a nice shine."

The match continued on until their drinks were depleted, leaving Regina with one solid ball and Emma with one striped ball. The elusive 8 ball sat precariously on the edge of a side pocket, less than an inch from one of Regina's balls.

"I've never had French food," Emma teased.

"Shut up." Regina hissed. She paced around the table looking for the right angle to aim from. But no matter where she stood, she couldn't find a spot where she wouldn't hit the 8 ball. Regina hoisted her hip onto the pool table and swung the pool cue behind her back. She leaned back to reach the angle she wanted and took aim. The power in her strike was lacking as the heavy white cue ball rolled dangerously towards her last ball. She prayed she could at least move it away from the 8 ball to give herself a second shot after Emma took her next turn.

The cueball tapped the remaining solid ball which barely grazed the 8 ball. The black sphere lingered on the edge, threatening to fall into the chasm of the pool table. Regina held her breath as she watched it wiggle a bit. She breathed once it appeared the ball was stopping. Her face suddenly fell as the 8 ball lost it's battle to gravity and disappeared into the side pocket. She hopped off the table and stalked around its perimeter to Emma. She stood right in front of her and glared. Emma swallowed hard. Regina's face was so close that if Emma were to lean slightly, she'd be able to catch the feisty woman's lips with her own.

"Um..." Emma stuttered.

"The day after tomorrow. Be ready by 7." Regina growled. She turned and stalked off into the bar to find Elsa.

"Y-yes, ma'am." Emma responded quickly, but she wasn't sure if she should be happy about her victory or terrified.

* * *

It was Thursday evening and Emma found herself pacing around the living room. She had thrown her bedroom into a chaotic mess trying to decide what to wear. Even after she settled on a pair of slacks and a red blouse, she managed to make more of a mess finding shoes to wear. Emma had tried on six pairs of heels, two ballerina flats and finally settled on a pair of black boots that hid well beneath her pant legs. Although she was satisfied with her appearance in the mirror, she debated changing into a dress or something fancier. However, she remembered that she had forgotten to hang up the dress from the last time she wore it and found it crumpled in a box with a pair of red platform heels. Disappointed, she stuck to her slacks and red blouse. She snatched up a black blazer to finish the outfit, but somehow she was still uneasy.

The carpet was nearly worn flat from where Emma paced. "Why did I even challenge her? This is gonna be bad. I know she hates me. Jesus, this was stupid," she mumbled to herself. "What am I gonna do? Maybe I'll just tell her that we can go somewhere cheap, like Denny's. No. Wait... Regina's too class for that. Chili's, maybe? She'd probably just look down on me more." Emma crouched down and ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Emma? What are you doing?"

The blonde looked up from her musings and found Regina standing in front of her in a sleek black and purple cocktail dress. The black dress was a one shoulder piece with an asymmetrical skirt. Faint royal purple trim edged the skirt and sprayed out across the black fabric like an Italian floral accent. Emma stared at the 4" black heels that encased Regina's feet and slowly stood up. "I.. um... nothing. I'm fine. You look great," she stuttered.

"Thank you." Regina answered quietly. She pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and Emma noticed the silver and white crystal Swarovski swan earrings. She wanted to tease Regina about them, but decided against it. "Are you ready?"

Emma nodded. "My car or yours?"

"For heaven's sake, my car. We'll die in that death trap of yours."

"It's not a death trap... most of the time." Emma pouted.

Regina took her house keys out of her clutch purse and headed towards the front door. "Let's get going. We wouldn't want to be late for our reservation."

Emma swallowed a knot in her throat. Oh shit... she made reservations? She's way too serious. I thought she would even blow me off. She followed Regina out of the house and waited on the porch as the other woman locked the door. "Um... you know.."

"Yes?"

"It was just a silly bet. You don't really have to take me to dinner." Emma said quietly.

Regina shrugged as she walked towards her car. "I'm already dressed up and so are you. It'd be a waste not to go out and enjoy the evening," she said as she unlocked the Tesla in the driveway. "You look good in those colors, by the way."

Seeing as Regina would not be swayed once she had already decided to do something, Emma quietly muttered her thanks for the compliment and got into the car. It was her first time in such a luxury car. The black leather seats were surprisingly soft and the wood grain accents were still glistening. Although it didn't have a new car smell, it had the faint scent of Regina's perfume and leather. The interior lit up in a soft white light as Regina turned the car on. It was oddly silent compared to the rumble and clank that Emma was accustomed to from her old Volkswagen. The dash display lit up and automatically set itself for directions to Flora Restaurant and Bar. Emma swallowed yet another knot that had crawled up into her throat. She knew that Regina had high class taste, but she hardly expected to be treated to such a fancy dinner. Macaroni Grill would have been fancy enough for her.

They said nothing on their drive, but simply listened to Regina's Smooth Jazz station. Emma was surprised, although not by much. She didn't expect Smooth Jazz or Bossa Nova from Regina, but at least it fell in line with Sam Smith's soul category. The more she thought about it, she realized that perhaps Regina knew Sam Smith's music because he's a gay artist. Was that the reason why Regina played that song? Or maybe it was something as simple as it was the kind of music she liked. While the theories rolled around in her head, Emma hardly noticed when Regina parked the car in a parking lot around the corner from Telegraph Avenue on Franklin.

As they walked in silence towards the restaurant, they stopped at a street corner to wait for the walking light. The lights turned green for their side and Regina casually stepped off the curb. Emma's hands reached out quickly and pulled Regina back, crashing her body against the blonde's as a Honda sped around the corner. A blaring cop car followed and Emma shouted after the car, "Yeah, catch them! Jerks..." She released her grip on Regina and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Regina said quietly. "Um.. thank you."

"Don't mention it. That guy's an asshole, whoever they are. Probably some coked up idiot."

"Well, thank you, just the same." Regina said again as she checked the street before walking. They picked up their step to cross the street before the light turned again.

At the end of the block, they arrived at Flora Restaurant and Bar. Emma looked around nervously as Regina checked in at the host stand and took the lead. They were seated immediately at a small table for two near the back of the restaurant. It was quieter, although Emma had hoped for more noise so she wouldn't have to focus on the lack of conversation.

"I've never been here before," she admitted. The menu had no sort of names for the food, only descriptions of ingredients that Emma hadn't heard of before. She was somewhat lost and hoped Regina would give some sort of guidance.

"I haven't either," Regina said as she looked over the menu. "It's okay to ask questions if you need to."

Emma pouted, "I'll look like an idiot. Is there anything you suggest? I mean, I don't know anything about wine and this kind of stuff."

Regina sighed and put her menu down. "I told you, dining is an experience. Go for things you haven't tried before. There are things beyond a burger that are worth eating."

"But there's a burger on here." Emma pointed out.

"It's for the non-adventurous type. But you'll never experience anything if you stick to what you know."

"That's true..." Emma agreed, although that hardly helped her navigate the menu.

The server, a tall young man with a dark beard, slicked back hair and hipster black glasses greeted their table and introduced himself as Will. He smiled warmly and was keen on answering any questions Emma or Regina had.

Regina nodded and then looked over her menu again. She paused, then glanced towards Emma, "Do you want to get a bottle of wine?"

"Um, sure... but I'll leave it up to you."

"We'll start with the Cuvée des Moines Brut Rose split. Then if we could have a few more minutes with the menu."

The server was more than happy to oblige, considering that Regina had selected a $60 bottle of champagne that was only half the size of a normal bottle. Emma suddenly became even more nervous that Regina's tastes were far too out of her league.

After discussing the menu a bit more, they settled on a sort of salad with heirloom tomatoes, lamb, arugula and basil pesto and a salmon carpaccio to start. Regina ordered the bouillabaisse with a cacophony of seafood while Emma settled on the roasted pork shoulder. It seemed safe and for Emma, the price was between too high and too low. She didn't want Regina to think she was taking advantage of the free meal, although it was won on a bet.

Regina sipped at the sparkling pink champagne and looked across the table at her so-called "date." Although she didn't compliment Emma's appearance very much, the color red really did suit the blonde. Although it was clear that Emma was nervous by the way she constantly looked around at everything and sipped at her champagne as if it were water.

"You can relax, you know. I'm not going to bite."

Emma's face turned a shade red dark enough to match her shirt. "I'm sorry. I've just never been to a place like this before. It's pretty fancy."

A stifled laugh escaped Regina's lips. "This isn't fancy, dear. It's actually rather casual. Fancy is where you don't even pick from the menu and formal attire is required."

Emma's green eyes narrowed slightly, "Why would you go someplace where you can't even choose what you eat?"

"Food is art. Places like Atelier Crenn in San Francisco or The French Laundry in Napa only offer menus the chef decides on for the day. It's their gallery, so to speak. It showcases their art in food preparation." Regina explained. "Some take it to another level. Atelier Crenn presents the menu in the form of a haiku. You won't really know what you should expect when the menu says Recall an oceanic feeling, See the half moon floating, silky, smoky. From that, all I can gather is that there is seafood involved and something in a soup that's smokey and probably creamy."

"That doesn't make any sense." Emma said.

"And are you supposed to figure out what modern art is at first glance? The idea is to bring an experience that is beyond expectations. If you have no expectations, then the chef has a 50% chance of impressing you." Regina finished her champagne and looked around for the server. Will showed up a moment later, having caught her wandering eyes. Regina ordered the Tessier Pinot Noir Reserve and continued her conversation without skipping a beat. "People often walk into a restaurant with high expectations of what they want. Things like Yelp allow them to voice their dissatisfaction that it wasn't like Mom's home cooking or that the food in Spain was a thousand times better. What they don't understand is that the chef isn't trying to be your mother or to be compared to Spain. They have their own ideas and their own creativity. They want you to experience what they have to offer."

"I think I get that..."

"So just enjoy it and try not to think too much about it. We became a society that stopped enjoying food and only ate to stop a grumbling stomach. Fast food was good enough, highly processed food was the norm. We're now at an age where chefs put great care into what they serve. Even places like McDonald's has up'd the ante and has changed some of their menu to reflect the change in people's diets."

Emma smiled as Will returned with shining clean glasses and a dark bottle with a greyish round label. She hardly heard anything he said as he presented the wine and made a bit of a ceremony opening it. She was impressed on how he opened it while never putting it down on the table. Every time she tried to open a bottle, she had to put it down on the table to get leverage to get the corkscrew into the cork. After Regina had tasted the wine and approved it, he poured two glasses and left them alone. Their appetizers arrived a moment later. The plates were bright and colorful and Emma found herself salivating at the mere sight. She realized that Regina was right. When she didn't have any expectations of what the food should look like, she opened herself up to be impressed.

Regina continued her lecture on food and wine culture as Emma tried her best to politely sample the two appetizers in front of them. She looked up in surprise as Regina called her name. "Were you even listening?" the brunette sighed.

"Oh, I am. I was just thinking... you're really passionate about this stuff."

"It's part of the business that I'm in. If I'm ill informed, I can't sell anything to my clients."

Emma nodded as she sliced a piece of heirloom tomato. "I mean, you kind of shine when you're talking about food and wine. I never gave it any thought, really, but you kinda put a new perspective into it."

Regina paused, then took a large gulp from her wine. Emma wasn't sure if the woman was hiding her expression with her wine glass or just thirsty. But she appreciated the view. Regina was not at all cut and dry as she had first thought. There was a sort of spark in her that seemed to surface here and there, but it was quick to disappear with a snide remark or an eye roll.

As the appetizers were cleared and the entrees were brought over, Emma managed to finish her first glass of wine. Although she wasn't as skilled as Regina in drinking wine and commenting on it, she was at least able to determine that it was a pretty good wine and that it had a mix of flavors in it. What those flavors were was something she couldn't describe, but she prided herself in being able to notice anything other than grapes. Will appeared again and refilled her glass, then topped off Regina's as well.

The conversation died as they ate dinner. Although Regina had spent a good amount of time talking, she had hoped to find out more about Emma. It wasn't that she hated her at all, but she was a kind of wild card in Regina's catalogue of people. It was almost too easy to read the blonde's emotions that appeared on her face. When she was nervous, Emma would fill the gaps of silence with drinking. She smiled a lot, but would look in another direction the moment Regina caught her smiling. Regina found this to be quite intriguing.

Once their dinner plates were cleared, Emma leaned back slightly to ease the tension in her belly. Between the wine and all the food, she was getting quite full. They sat there with a mostly clean table, finishing their glasses of wine. She nearly sputtered when Regina looked up at her with a serious face. "So, honestly...are you seeing anyone?" she asked.

"I... what?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "It was a simple question. Are you seeing anyone?"

Emma shook her head, "No, not at the moment."

"Oh? Do you mean to say there's someone you're interested in?" Regina asked, leaning forward slightly.

"There is, but I don't think she's interested in me."

"I see," came the sharp reply.

"How about you?" Emma urged. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"No. I had a girlfriend in New York, but it ended long before I came out to California."

Emma's heart skipped a beat. There was her confirmation. It was all she needed to want to try to impress Regina further and win her over. But not tonight. Things were still cordial between them, although Emma was now determined to prove herself to this woman who seemed to be out of her reach.

"That's good to hear," Emma said. She immediately caught herself and backtracked her comment. "I mean, it's probably a good thing that you're not trying to maintain a long distance relationship. I couldn't do it. My last girlfriend decided to go off to Africa and join the Red Cross, so we ended it. At least it wasn't ugly. But no boyfriends for you either? You're a gorgeous woman, I figure you'd have offers left and right."

Regina shook her head, "No, I've never dated any men."

"Wait, never?" Emma blinked. "You mean.. you're a gold star?"

"I don't understand what you're indicating by that."

"A gold star." Emma repeated. "A lesbian who's never been with a man sexually."

Regina blushed. This was definitely not dinner conversation, although the wine in her head stopped her usual walls from shooting upwards around her. "Oh, then I suppose I am."

"Wow... you're kind of a rare breed. I'm impressed."

"Why is that?" Regina asked as she finished her wine.

Emma shrugged, "I dunno. It's like, a lot of women start off trying to be straight. They get boyfriends and try to fit in. I did when I was in high school. Dated a guy named Bae. Obviously it didn't work out. I just wasn't interested in him."

"I just never had any interest at all. I wasn't curious or anything. I just felt like they were... faceless people. Nothing significant to catch my attention." Regina explained. "Is that strange?"

"Not at all," Emma said with a smile. "Everyone is entitled to their own desires. Nothing is strange, but a lot is not what society calls 'normal."

Regina laughed a little, "You're surprisingly intelligent."

Emma frowned, "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"It is. I sort of had you pegged as a careless, clumsy blonde. It's refreshing to see this side of you." Regina said with a playful smile.

Their server returned a moment later, breaking up the somewhat flirtatious banter that had sprung up between them. After agreeing on the apple tart and a two cup French Press of Blue Bottle Coffee to share, he left them alone again. Although the flirting had stopped, Regina and Emma had reached a peak moment in their rivalry where a conversation wasn't laced with criticism. As they shared their dessert and enjoyed the local coffee, Emma shared a few patrol stories with Regina. In turn, Regina shared some horrific stories about working in the hotel industry.

"So this airline crew checks in and I'm not sure if the attendants were high or drunk or just stupid, but I get a call from the front desk because one of the girls is screaming in the hallway from the service elevator because her head is stuck," Regina said as she stirred her coffee. "Come to find out, she was stuck because she was trying to push her suitcase into the elevator and the door began to close on her head, like she was too dumb to move. The elevator would normally bounce back after detecting something in the way, but her idiot friends pushed the emergency stop button, so the doors stopped moving, right on her head!"

Emma did her best to hold the coffee in her mouth as she suppressed her laughter. "It must be fun to work in a hotel. You get to see all kinds of people."

Regina shrugged, "I'm sure it's not as exciting as car chases."

"Not half as dangerous either. My mom is always worried whenever I tell her stories about drug busts, but it's kind of in her nature to worry." Emma smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Why did you introduce your mom as 'Snow?" Regina asked curiously.

The blonde laughed, "Oh, so it's something my dad started. My mom has this weird attraction to animals. I mean, like seriously, woodland creatures and stuff. She's a magnet for them. Stray cats come to the house all the time. Lost dogs, squirrels, raccoons, you name it. They're never afraid to just walk right up to my mom, but the moment my dad, Neal or I get close, they go scampering away. So, my dad started calling her 'Snow White' and eventually it just became 'Snow.' The kids in her class call her 'Mrs. Snow."

"Excuse me, Regina Mills?" A voice interrupted their conversation and both women looked up to find a petite, thin blonde with hazel eyes looking at Regina curiously. Her eyes widened as she grinned, "It is you! Oh, my gosh! I thought it was you from across the restaurant."

Regina's face also lit up in a bright smile. She stood up and gave the other woman a superficial hug, "Kelly, it's so nice to see you again! How are things over at the Durant?"

Kelly shrugged, although she was grinning from ear to ear, "Oh, you know... day in, day out, contracts, proposals, the usual. I finally made it to Director of Catering, but you know how fluid our titles get with this business. I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to come and say hi." She turned to Emma and held out her hand, "Hi, sorry. I'm Kelly Highland. Regina and I worked together before, she used to be my sales rival. Are you her new girlfriend? You're so cute!"

Emma's face turned red as she shook the woman's hand. She wanted to say yes, but that would reveal her feelings much earlier than what she was ready for. Instead, she held up her hands defensively, "I, what?! No, I'm not her girlfriend! We're just housemates. We're not dating."

Regina sat down again and glowered slightly. The evening was going so well, but somehow... she was feeling irritated. Kelly frowned and turned back to Regina, "I'm sorry. You looked so cute together, I just naturally assumed that... sorry, Regina."

"It's fine," Regina said quietly as she flagged down their server for the check. "We were just grabbing some dinner since our other housemates are out of town at Burning Man."

"Oh, I see," Kelly nodded. "Well, I'll let you two get back to it. It was great seeing you, we'll have to catch up sometime soon." She excused herself and waved one more time to Regina before sitting down at her own table.

Emma tilted her head slightly, "Are you okay?" It was clear that Regina was no longer in a positive mood, but Emma wasn't sure why.

"I'm fine, I said. Were you finished? I'm just about ready to go home." Regina said sharply.

"Um, sure. Anytime you're ready." Emma answered quietly. The bill never arrived. Regina had arranged for the server to run her American Express card without bringing an itemized bill. She simply waited for the credit card slip, which she signed quickly. Regina slipped the second copy in her purse before Emma could even see the total. "Um, let me at least help with the tip."

"I've taken care of it already."

Regina said nothing on the way home. Although the night went relatively well, something was bothering her. Once they had returned and were in the house, they parted with a simple 'Thank you' and 'You're Welcome' before retreating to their rooms. She sat alone on the edge of her bed after changing into her pajamas, wondering why she felt so irritated with Emma. Holding onto a plush skull with a crown on its head; a prize she had won on a weekend trip to Coney Island when she lived in New York, Regina glared at it as if it had the answers.

"I don't know why I'm so pissed of at her. It's not like we're really dating or anything. I don't even like her that much, I guess. Ugh, but it just bothered me, the way she told Kelly that we're not dating." Regina sighed and flopped backwards on the bed, letting the soft plush skull bounce out of her hands. "Whatever, it doesn't matter anyways." With that final sigh of frustration, Regina crawled under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep, tucked in her nest of feather pillows.

* * *

Friday and Saturday passed with little or no interaction between them, save for a few momentary scuffles where Regina would nag about the forks sitting tines down in the dishwasher or where Emma would get upset that Regina recorded a repeat episode of The Walking Dead over an episode of Scandal that she hadn't seen yet. They had done such a good job of keeping distance between them that Regina was more than surprised to find Emma outside, late Sunday morning, in board shorts, a white tank top and flip flops, washing her Tesla by hand.

She stayed near the window and watched Emma, convincing herself that she wanted to make sure the clumsy blonde didn't scratch up her car. But her eyes were drawn to the excessively feminine lacy black bra that became visible as Emma's white tank became wet. Regina wondered if the woman was doing that on purpose to get her attention, but then reminded herself that Emma was the one who was quick to deny they were (or, as it was in Regina's head; could ever be) dating. Regina stayed hidden next to the window, peeking out every few moments or so to see what Emma was doing.

In the driveway, Emma's phone was connected to a Jambox speaker. She scrubbed away the bugs on the Tesla's fender as she grooved along to some 90's punk music. She was quite proud of herself, having found the time to wash Regina's car, even though the woman had been especially cold to her ever since their dinner date the other night. She wasn't even sure if she should call it a date, but for a few moments, it felt like one.

Regina had been particularly hostile, that what little interaction they had, it was spent bickering. First it was about leaving the Kureig on, as if it really mattered, but Regina seemed to be annoyed that Emma had a habit of leaving the tank half full and the power on. They avoided eating dinner together again, although that didn't save Emma from Regina nagging her about eating an unhealthy meal of Carl's Jr. Famous Stars and onion rings. Emma snapped and called Regina an unreasonable stuck up hipster, to which Regina slammed the door in her face. Another day it was Emma complaining about Regina hogging the washer and dryer, but it was followed by Regina bitching about Emma leaving her clothes in the laundry room.

When Mulan and Aurora returned home on Monday evening, they were glad to be back in the coolness of the Bay Area. Burning Man was fun, enlightening and hot, but after sunburns, contact highs, and walking around half dressed, they returned several shades darker and exhausted.

Dragging her duffle bag with her into the house, Mulan sighed as they walked in. Regina and Emma were shouting at each other from the top and bottom of the stairs with Emma staring up into the second floor with a scowl.

"You're supposed to put the toilet paper roll with the loose end to the outside!" Regina nagged.

"What the hell does it even matter? Jesus Christ, Regina, are you so bored that you're going to nit pick about the toilet paper now?!"

Regina stuck her head over the landing wall. "Why can't you just do the simplest things? Your damn toothpaste drives me insane!"

"Seriously?! I washed your god damn car and this is the thanks I get?!" Emma shouted.

"I didn't ask you to!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Only if I won the bet!"

"Let someone do something nice for you for once, shit! Can't you be a little appreciative?"

"Stop sticking your nose into other peoples' business, Swan!" Regina shouted with frustration. "I paid my debt, you got your dinner. Just turn the damn toilet paper around!"

"YOU turn it around if it bothers you so much!"

"Go to hell!" Regina shouted. The bedroom door slammed a moment later.

"Eat a dick!" Emma shouted back. She turned and found herself face to face with Mulan and Aurora. They smirked as the redness in her face spread to her ears. "Welcome home?"

Mulan laughed, "Glad to see things haven't changed around here."

"Did you two seriously fight the entire time?" Aurora asked as she put down her bag.

"No... well, kinda." Emma shrugged. "Trust me, we're glad you're home."

Mushu came running through the open door, barking happily. Emma scooped up the dog and squeezed him lightly. "I missed you, too, buddy! The Evil Queen is hiding upstairs in her room. You don't wanna go over there. She might breathe fire on you."

"I heard that!" came Regina's voice from upstairs. She had come out of her room to fix the toilet paper that was angering her. She looked down at Mulan and Aurora from the top of the stairs. "Welcome home. Sorry, but Emma's being a pain in the ass."

"You know what?" Aurora smiled. "Compared to the mass amounts of hippies we spent the week with, it's kind of nice to come home and see you two up to your usual. Makes things seem normal."

Mulan grinned. "I traded some campfire cornbread for a pound of organic coffee. We're going to put stuff away, then you guys can come have a cup with us."

Emma smiled, "Sounds good." Mushu barked his approval, then wiggled out of Emma's grasp to find his corner in the laundry room.

Regina sighed and started down the stairs. "I suppose I'll get the water going." She locked eyes with Emma and for a brief moment, Mulan noticed something that wasn't there when she left. Even though they were fighting, there was a certain change in atmosphere the moment they were in proximity to each other. She wasn't sure how, but she'd figure out what happened and if anything, if it was what she was expecting, she would do whatever she needed to push them in the right direction.

* * *

_Thanks for being so patient. This episode ended up being a lot longer than I had planned. Sorry for those of you who expected Regina to be at Burning Man. Also, for references sake, Blue Bottle Coffee, Flora Restaurant and Bar, White Horse Bar and Hotel Durant are actual Northern California East Bay locations and/or products. I do not claim ownership of these copyright names or locations. But, if you're interested, they're all fascinating places._

_Thank you again for the follows and please don't forget to review. Episode 4 is on its way: "Aurora and the Vegetarian Laws"_


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